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A Paternity Twist To War Over Bal Thackeray’s Will

In a stunning twist in the middle of a war over Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s will, his estranged son Jaidev Thackeray said in court on Wednesday that his son Aishwarya Thackeray,  is not really his.

Jaidev Thackeray has challenged his father’s will, which does not give him any share in his property but includes Aishwarya, known to be his son with ex-wife Smita Thackeray.

Jaidev Thackeray was being cross-examined by the lawyer of his brother and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray when he made the revelation.

He said that 2004 onwards, he stayed on the second floor of "Matoshree", the Thackeray home in Mumbai, whenever he visited it, as the first floor was occupied by "some unknown person".

Asked who this person was, Mr Thackeray replied, "The first floor was often locked up. And when it was not, some unknown person used to stay there. I did not know that person and when I asked my father, he said that somebody named Aishwarya was staying there."

"Is Aishwarya your son?" the lawyer asked.

"No, he is not. In fact, I have wanted to set the record on Aishwarya’s paternity straight for a while now but have not got a chance," Mr Thackeray said.

He was stopped from saying more as the court adjourned for lunch.

Later, the judge, after a meeting with the lawyers of both parties, announced that the rest of the deposition would not be open to the public or media.

Mr Thackeray had told the court earlier that he moved out of Matoshree in 1999 because of increasing disputes with ex-wife Smita Thackeray.

Smita Thackeray, who has another son and a daughter, continued to live in Matoshree until their divorce in 2004, and during this period he regularly visited his father during the day but returned to his flat at night.

These visits stopped only a month before Bal Thackeray died in November 2012, Jaidev Thackeray said.