MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has rapped a security agency, which claimed to be the legal guardian of a dead woman's entire property though it was tasked with securing only one floor of her building.
A division bench of Justices RMS Khandeparkar and Vijaya Kapse-Tahilramani on Wednesday rejected the petition filed by Hindustan Security Force (HSF) seeking to protect the properties of one Madhavi Sagar worth crores of rupees from being grabbed by 'unscrupulous elements claiming to be her relatives.'
The bench observed that the security agency had no locus standi to file such an application and imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the HSF.
Sagar, who passed away on August 27 this year was ill and bed-ridden in her last days. She owned three buildings at the prime location opposite Charni Road station in south Mumbai, including Sagar Samrat where HSF is a tenant since last July.
After she passed away, HSF states in the petition, that they informed the police and fire-brigade to remove her body from the house for the last rites. Interestingly, HSF also tried to contact her relative in the UK, who's address or telephone number is not known to them.
HSF believes it to be their obligation to take necessary steps for protecting the properties owned by Sagar from encroachment as they were appointed by her to "safeguard immovable properties."
Meanwhile, it was brought to the court's notice that Sagar had prepared her last will and testament and handed her property to one Mahesh Trivedi, who had helped her with her legal matters and health problems after the death of her husband in 2004.
