Daughter Accused of Forging Will in Sh3 Billion Devani Estate Dispute

A succession dispute involving the estate of the late industrialist Balkrishna Ramji Haribhai Devani is before the Milimani Law Courts, where one of his daughters is accused of forging a Will to gain control of substantial family assets.

The court heard that Kalpa Chandarana has accused her sister, Dinta Devani Pathanja, of fabricating a codicil to their father’s Will shortly after his death in June 2019. According to Kalpa, the disputed document altered the distribution of the estate by transferring major shareholdings in several family companies solely to Dinta, contrary to the original Will, which divided the estate equally among the three daughters.

Kalpa testified that their father formally executed his Will on 3 June 2019 at Dally & Inamdah Advocates, two days before his death. She said the Will was later read to family members and no objections were raised. However, she told the court that a month later she was confronted with a codicil presented during court proceedings, which purported to change the allocation of assets in Dinta’s favour.

She said the timing and content of the document were implausible, arguing that it suggested her father approved decisions after his death. Kalpa told the magistrate that she believed the codicil was forged and that it undermined the lawful administration of the estate.

The dispute has strained relations within the Devani family. Kalpa said she has faced prolonged emotional and physical hardship while challenging the alleged forgery and attempting to secure what she considers her rightful share. She added that their sister, Shilpa, who lives in London, was also adversely affected by the disputed document.

Prosecutors further allege that Dinta, her husband Abhay Singh Pathanja, and two senior employees, Samuel Ngugi Ndinguri and Addah Nduta Ndambuki, were involved in falsifying corporate records. The court was told that minutes of a directors’ meeting were forged in 2018 while Devani was undergoing medical treatment in the United Kingdom, falsely indicating that he took part in decisions transferring company shares.

Ndinguri is also accused of filing a misleading affidavit in succession proceedings, which prosecutors say was intended to obstruct justice. The prosecution maintains that the accused acted together to alter estate and corporate documents without lawful authority, affecting the distribution of Devani’s business interests.

All four accused have denied the charges. Senior Principal Magistrate Ms Shitubi released them on bond of Sh3 million each, with an alternative cash bail of Sh1 million, pending further hearings.