Millionaire hotel owner defeats his father in High Court case

Sixty-three-old  Jasminder Singh head of Radisson Blu Edwardian hotels group successfully defended his 87-year-old father Bal Mohinder Singh’s claim that under Sikh tradition he was entitled to a third of the family wealth.

Although, both Father and son live in the same seven-bedroom country house Tetworth Hall near Ascot racecourse in Berkshire with their families.

Jasminder is worth about £415million. But the father’s Counsel John McDonnel QC told the Judge Sir William Blackburne, “ the father is not claiming a share of any of Jasminder’s wealth acquired by his own efforts. The only cash put into the family’s empire is that put in by the father in the 70s.” The father has said the claim is not about the money but about tradition and his son’s failure to abide by the “mitashara” system from Sikh and Hindu traditions which implies sharing of family wealth.

The Judge in conclusion  added “ Although I have rejected father’s claim, it by no means follow that I regard him or mother as having in any way acted dishonestly in making it. On the contrary, they stuck me as having advanced his claim in all good faith believing it to be well founded. If nothing else this litigation has highlighted the extraordinary enterprise that has enabled the Singh family, in the space of two generation, to rise from obscurity and very modest circumstances in what was then rural British India, overcome all difficulties, and come to this country and make a fortune for itself.”

The father was raised in rural British India and the mother in Kenya. But the son completing his education in UK and taking little interest in the religious side of Sikhism.

Father and son turned a small family post office business in Stamford Hill, North London back in 1973 into the multi-million pounds hotel group.

His son helped the business after he qualified as an accountant and they moved into hotels, buying a rundown  B&B in Kensington, West London, which they eventually refurbished and sold making a huge profit. They bought a string of upmarket hotels, in Central London location  including Vanderbilt and the Savoy Court. Father was forced to retire in 2010   by his son  and now refuses to follow the family tradition of sharing.