The Supreme Court has extended mediation in the nearly two-decade-old Kalyani family dispute until the end of October and directed courts hearing related cases to defer proceedings, giving the warring family members more time to work towards a settlement.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana on August 31 posted the matter for further hearing on October 26. The continuation of mediation, along with the deferment of parallel litigation, suggests that the parties remain engaged in efforts to resolve the dispute outside the courts.
The Supreme Court had initiated the mediation on July 13, appointing former Supreme Court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao as mediator. The process has since been extended several times at the request of the parties.
The dispute pits siblings Baba Kalyani, Sugandha Hiremath and Gaurishankar Kalyani and their respective families against each other over claims relating to ancestral family wealth estimated at more than Rs 1 lakh crore. The assets include substantial immovable properties as well as interests connected with listed Kalyani Group companies.
The mediation followed Hiremath’s challenge to the Bombay High Court’s May 4 judgment, which had declined to facilitate mediation between the siblings. Although mediation efforts had not progressed before the High Court, the Supreme Court subsequently encouraged the parties to explore an amicable settlement.
The latest extension is important because the family dispute has generated litigation across multiple courts over several years. Keeping those proceedings deferred allows the parties to continue settlement discussions without the various cases moving forward simultaneously.
The Supreme Court’s October 26 hearing will provide an indication of whether the mediation has made sufficient progress towards resolving one of the country’s longest-running and closely watched family disputes.