Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has directed businessman Harsh Kilachand, the executor of his late father Rajnikant Kilachand’s estate, to complete the distribution of assets within a set timeframe, warning that failure to do so could lead to his removal. The Kilachand family was once one of the wealthiest families in the city.

Justice NJ Jamadar passed the order on January 29 while deciding an application originally filed by Ramila Kilachand, Rajnikant’s widow and one of the legatees, who had accused Harsh of delaying the distribution of the estate despite obtaining probate in 2016. Following Ramila’s passing in February 2024, her son Amrish Kilachand took over the proceedings.

The dispute centered on Harsh’s insistence that a Memorandum of Family Settlement (MoFS) be signed before distribution, requiring Amrish and Ramila to accept the accounts submitted by him and refrain from future legal challenges. The court held that this condition was contrary to the duties of an executor, who is bound to distribute the estate as per the Will.

Harsh argued that part of the estate belonged to a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), which required a formal partition agreement before distribution. He also contended that ongoing legal challenges by the beneficiaries had hindered the process.

The court, however, noted that key assets, including movable and immovable properties, remained undistributed even after several years. It emphasized that an executor cannot impose conditions not mentioned in the Will and warned Harsh that any further delays would justify his removal.

Granting him a final opportunity to comply, the court ordered Harsh to distribute all money, movable assets, and securities within two months. He has been granted six months to distribute the immovable properties.

Failure to meet these deadlines would allow Amrish to seek Harsh’s removal and request further court intervention. A request by Harsh’s lawyer to stay the order was denied, with the court stating that there was no justification to delay the execution of the Will any further.