In the ongoing Kalyani family dispute regarding the division of family assets, the Bombay High Court has granted siblings Sameer Hiremath and Pallavi Swadi the right to amend their suit, allowing them to seek a restraint on the voting rights associated with shares acquired from the Kalyani family’s core assets.
Justice N J Jamadar, on Monday, overturned a prior decision by a Pune Civil Court in a partition suit. This High Court has directed that the siblings file an application for amendments within three weeks and an amended copy of the plaint be served on the defendants within one week thereafter. “The defendants are at liberty to file an additional written statement, if any, to the amended plaint, within a period of 30 days from the service of the copy of the amended plaint,” the judge ordered.
2024 partition suit
In their 2024 partition suit filed in Pune, the siblings sought to include the Kalyani Group’s extensive assets—including prominent listed companies—as property originating from and rightfully belonging to a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF).
The Pune court had initially allowed the siblings to incorporate a list of newly discovered assets into their suit. The Court later refused their plea to amend the application to include a restraint on voting rights for shares or the appointment of an administrator over these holdings. The Pune Civil Judge partly rejected the plea and passed the order on August 21, 2025. The siblings appealed against this rejection to the Bombay High Court.
High Court’s observation
The High Court observed that a court’s primary duty is to determine if an amendment is indeed necessary to resolve the true dispute between parties. By applying this principle, the High Court concluded that the siblings should be permitted to pursue their claims regarding voting rights and administrative oversight.
The siblings, children of Sugandha Hiremath (Baba Kalyani’s younger sister), are great-grandchildren of Annappa N. Kalyani (ANK). Their suit names Bharat Forge, Kalyani Steels, and Kalyani Consultants. The siblings allege that promoters, including Baba Kalyani, currently hold the voting rights to all shares acquired from the family nucleus.
According to the Hiremaths, represented by RJD & Partners, ANK initiated various businesses and accumulated assets under the HUF umbrella. Following his demise in 1954, his son, Dr Neelkanth Annappa Kalyani (NAK), assumed leadership of the HUF. After his health deteriorated in 2011, Baba Kalyani became the Karta (head) of the HUF. The siblings alleged they would be deprived of their respective shares as coparceners. The assets include publicly listed and private limited companies, firms, immovable properties, and bank accounts.