In Brief
A wealthy Parsi bachelor, Purvez Burjor Dalal, died in 2011, leaving a ₹100+ crore estate. Two competing wills emerged, triggering a probate dispute. An Administrator was appointed to preserve the estate. The Administrator discovered that large sums—₹17 lakhs and ₹15 lakhs—had been transferred to shell entities with interconnected addresses and operators. The High Court invoked its constitutional powers under Article 215 to direct a court-monitored police investigation, viewing it as necessary to protect the estate from fraud. The Supreme Court upheld this order, holding that High Courts retain inherent powers to safeguard property under judicial custody, even in testamentary disputes, when systemic fraud is evident.
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