A jury in Houston  Probate Court (Texas), USA, has ruled that a will, dated April 15, 2004 purportedly left by late M D Narayan, former Rajya Sabha MP, was forged.

Narayan, who also owned hundreds of acres of coffee plantations in Chickmagalur and Sakaleshpur, was an American citizen during his last few years.

After his death in 2005, Narayan’s brother M D Balakrishna claimed to have inherited a major portion of Narayan’s assets, that include residential properties in RMV Extension, Sadashivanagar in Bangalore, as well as residential properties in Chickmagalur, Houston and London.

Balakrishna also staked claim over acres of coffee plantations in Chickmagalur and Sakleshpur and many  financial investments, on the basis of the will, that was allegedly left behind by his late brother.

Arathi Narayan, the daughter of Narayan and a resident of Chicago in the USA, had contested the will that Balakrishna put forward for probate in the Harris County Probate Court No 1 in Texas.

The trial lasted for around two weeks, during which five witnesses from India gave evidence before the court. Handwriting experts from both India and the USA also examined, as part of the trial.  The jury, on July 5, ruled unanimously that the will was forged and that Balakrishna’s intentions were “dishonest”.

Narayan, during his stay in Bangalore, had successfully fought a case against promoters of a neighbourhood apartment building.