Delhi High Court orders forensic examination of disputed will in Udaipur royal family property case
The Delhi High Court has granted permission for the probation of the will in the Udaipur royal family's inheritance dispute. The court has permitted lawyers to examine the original will along with forensic/handwriting experts. The Delhi High Court has also directed that no photographs of the will be taken during the probation. The probation of the will has been scheduled for May 15th. The Delhi High Court will next hear the case on May 19th.
The Delhi High Court is hearing a dispute over the inheritance of the royal family of Udaipur. The will, allegedly made by the late Arvind Singh Mewar, is being challenged by his daughter, Padmaja, who has questioned the signature and demanded an expert investigation.
Do not take photos of original documents
A bench headed by Justice Subramonium Prasad ordered the lawyers for both parties, forensic experts, and handwriting experts to examine the original will document. The court directed the experts involved in the will examination not to take photographs of the original document during the examination. The High Court issued notices on January 20th to Padmaja Parmar and her sister Bhargavi Kumari Mewar on a petition filed by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar.
All petitions were directed to be filed in Delhi.
On December 18, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of all petitions filed by members of the Mewar royal family to the Delhi High Court. Previously, some family members had filed petitions in the Bombay High Court, while others had approached the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court. The Supreme Court directed that all these petitions be consolidated in the Delhi High Court for a uniform hearing.
This dispute concerns control of the City Palace in Udaipur, the HRH Hotels Group, and other properties. These petitions challenge the validity of the will of Maharaja Arvind Singh Mewar. One of the petitioners is from the same family as Arvind Singh Mewar. He was the heir apparent to Maharana Bhagwant Singh Mewar.
