Bal Thackeray's will was updated many times, says lawyer

MUMBAI: A witness today stated before the Bombay High Court that Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray had amended his will eight to nine times between 1997 to 2011.

F D'souza, a lawyer, said during a hearing before Justice Gautam Patel that every time a new draft of the will was prepared, it was read by Thackeray himself, or its text was explained to him by his lawyers.

Sena chief Udhav Thackeray, Bal Thackeray's son, has filed a probate petition to get his father's will certified by the High Court, while another son, Jaidev Thackeray, has contested it saying that his father could not have made a will where he (Jaidev) does not get anything.

The High Court had earlier refused to grant interim relief to Jaidev who had sought to restrain the beneficiaries of the will (Uddhav and others) from selling or disposing of the properties.

The property left behind by Thackeray is worth Rs 14.85 crore and includes his bungalow in suburban Bandra,`Matoshri'.