Delhi HC orders status quo on late designer Rohit Bal's estate

The Delhi High Court has ordered a status quo on the estate of late fashion designer Rohit Bal.Justice Anish Dayal on February 4 ordered a status quo on a plea of his friend Lalit Tehlan who claimed of being the primary beneficiary of Bal's duly executed will with respect to his assets, including properties in Defence Colony and Noida besides the shareholding in Rohit Bal Designs Pvt Ltd.

"To avoid dissipation of the estate, there will be a status quo on the assets," the court said.

Bal, a pioneer who helped put Indian fashion on the global map and dressed celebrities back home, Hollywood and elsewhere, died on November 1, 2024 night in a south Delhi hospital following a heart attack. He was 63.

In the application, Tehlan sought an injunction order against Bal's step-brothers in order to ensure the designer's properties were preserved.

Tehlan said Bal categorically mentioned in his will dated October 30, 2023, that his legal heirs including his brothers, Rakesh Bal and Rajiv Bal, and his step sisters, Neera and Late Aruna and their legal heirs, or any other relative should have no rights over his properties, both movable and immovable, after his death.

However, to Tehlan's utter shock and surprise, the locks to the Defence Colony premises were changed by the decedent's stepbrother after the demise and a security guard was stationed to prevent his entry, the plea alleged.

The application formed part of Tehlan's plea seeking execution of Bal's will.