Forging Mother's Will to Deny Sister's Property Share is Criminal, Not Civil: MP High Court

The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected anticipatory bail for a man accused of forging his late mother's will to deprive his sister of a property share in Ujjain. Justice Gajendra Singh ruled that the case transcends a civil dispute and constitutes a criminal matter.

The applicant allegedly forged a will dated June 4, 2013, concerning a 4,350-square-foot property. Investigation revealed the purported will lacked the mother's thumb impression, and the sole surviving attesting witness denied its execution. The sister claimed the will emerged only in 2023, after which her brother got the property mutated in his name in April 2024 and transferred it to his son through a registered sale deed.

The court noted the applicant's son's earlier rejected anticipatory bail plea was not disclosed by the applicant's counsel. The High Court considered the timing of the will's emergence, property mutation, and subsequent transactions, finding sufficient grounds to proceed with the criminal case rather than treat it as a civil dispute.