Lt. Col. Ravi Indra Singh Verdi (Retd.) v. State of NCT of Delhi

SACHIN DATTA, J. (Oral)

¶1The present petition has been filed under Sections 276 and 278 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 ("the Act") before this Court seeking grant of probate/letters of administration in respect of the Will dated 03.04.2014, executed by Late Ms. Nina Sloan ("the deceased/testator"), in respect of her estate. The said Will has been annexed as 'Document-1' to the present petition.

¶2The aforesaid Will dated 03.04.2014 ("Will") was executed by the deceased/testator at New Delhi in the presence of two attesting witnesses, namely, Mr. R. Balasubramanian and Mr. Sadeev Sandhu. The Will is stated to be the last and final Will of the deceased/testator.

¶3For disposal of the present petition, the following essential facts are taken note of.

¶4Late Ms. Nina Sloan was born on 30.01.1934 and passed away on

08.11.2016 at her residence in the County of Orange, State of California. The deceased's immediate family consisted of her husband and son, both of whom had predeceased her. The petitioner herein is the nephew of the deceased, who has been named as a beneficiary in the Will, along with his daughter Ms. Ambita Verdi.

¶5Under the Will, the deceased/testator bequeathed four commercial units/flats bearing Nos. 833, 834, 835 and 836, situated on the 8th Floor of Building Block-C, Vatika Business Park, Gurugram, Haryana ("subject properties"). Units/Flats Nos. 833 and 834 were bequeathed to her granddaughter, Ms. Ambita Verdi, along with the rights and obligations attached thereto, whereas Units/Flats Nos. 835 and 836 were bequeathed to the petitioner herein.

¶6The petitioner is thus one of the beneficiaries under the aforesaid Will, and has accordingly, approached this Court seeking grant of probate/letters of administration in respect of the said Will.

¶7It is pertinent to note that the deceased/testator did not appoint any executor under the Will dated 03.04.2014. The Will was executed at New Delhi and the deceased/testator had a fixed place of residence at New Delhi. It is further stated that both beneficiaries under the Will are residents of Delhi.

¶8The present petition was instituted before this Court in April 2025 and vide order dated 09.04.2025 passed in the present proceedings, publication was directed to be made. Pursuant to the said direction, the petitioner caused publication of the citation in the newspapers "The Statesman" and "Veer

Arjun". The affidavit of publication evidencing such compliance has also been placed on record as Exhibits P-2/4 and P-2/5 respectively.

¶9No objections have been received to the grant sought in the present petition. The order dated 09.12.2025 passed by the learned Joint Registrar also records that there is no contest in the present proceedings.

¶10The valuation report in respect of the subject properties had been received from the office of the Naib Tehsildar, Badshahpur, Gurugram, Haryana. In terms of the said report, the value of the subject properties has been assessed at approximately Rs.2,13,69,600/-.

¶11In support of the present petition, the petitioner has placed on record his affidavit of evidence as well as the affidavit of evidence of one of the attesting witnesses to the Will, namely, Mr. R. Balasubramanian. The said witness has tendered his affidavit of evidence dated 07.01.2026

¶12PW-1/ Mr. R. Balasubramanian, has deposed that Late Ms. Nina Sloan (the deceased) executed her last and final Will dated 03.04.2014 at New Delhi at his office situated in Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi, and affixed her signature on the Will in his presence. He has further deposed regarding the presence of the second attesting witness, Mr. Sadeev Sandhu, at the time of execution of the said Will.

¶13The aforesaid evidence establishes that the Will was attested by two witnesses in accordance with the requirements of Section 63 of the Act. PW-1, being one of the attesting witnesses, has also proved the execution and attestation of the Will in terms of Section 68 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. The petition has further been verified by the said attesting witness in terms of Section 281 of the Act.

¶14The evidence led by the petitioner and the attesting witness has remained unchallenged. There is, further, no objection from any person to the grant sought in the present proceedings.

¶15Upon consideration of the material placed on record, this Court is satisfied that the Will dated 03.04.2014 was duly executed by Late Ms. Nina Sloan and has been duly proved in accordance with law. There is no material on record to cast any doubt upon the genuineness of the Will. There is, consequently, no legal impediment to the grant of letters of administration with the Will annexed, in respect of the estate covered by the aforesaid Will.

¶16The present petition is allowed. The petitioner is held entitled to letter of administration in respect of the Will dated 03.04.2014. The registry is directed to issue letters of administration qua the Will annexed, on furnishing administration bond with one surety bond by the petitioner.

¶17On payment of the requisite court fees and other formalities, the letter of administration qua the Will dated 03.04.2014 shall be issued by the Registry of this Court.

¶18The petition is disposed of in the above terms.

SACHIN DATTA, J AUGUST 24, 2026/at/ka

* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Date of Decision: 24.08.2026 # CNR No. DLHC010199962025 + TEST.CAS. 36/2025 LT. COL. RAVI INDRA SINGH VERDI (RETD.) .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Sarojanand Jha, Mr. Suraj Malik, Ms. Rajreeta Ghosh, Mr. Rahul Kumar and Ms. Muskan Saxena, Advocates. versus STATE OF NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent Through: None. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA