Remember actress Soundarya, who died along with her brother Amarnath in a plane crash in 2004 during the campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections? Her relatives are now in a legal battle over her property, estimated to be worth Rs. 50 crore.
Her mother K.S. Manjula and her ex-husband G.S. Raghu are on one side, while her sister-in-law Nirmala, widow of Amarnath, and her son Sathvik are on the other. The late actress reportedly left a will and as per its contents, Soundarya owned six properties, besides gold ornaments and other assets.
According to sources, the will reportedly bequeathed a house to Sathvik. Another house, which was being constructed then, is a joint property of her mother, brother's family and her family. The other two properties are bequeathed to her husband and children.
The legal battle started when Amarnath's son Sathvik approached a court saying his right to own property were thwarted by his grandmother who was not honouring Soundarya's will. The matter got worse and both the parties filed complaints in a Bangalore police station.
Advocate Dhanraj, counsel for Soundarya's sister-in-law, has filed a defamation suit against Manjula and Raghu for defaming his clients in a police complaint filed at Sadhashivanagar Police Station alleging that the will executed in 2003 was forged. The local court accepted his petition for defamation Monday and summoned Manjula and Raghu for a hearing on November 2.
