BT talks to the original owner of the property, and also to legal experts regarding the apartment’s future ownership
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 25, 2020)

Much has been written about the apartment in Malad that Sushant Singh Rajput used to share with his then girlfriend Ankita Lokhande. Claims were made after Sushant's death that he used to pay the EMIs for the property. This was countered by Ankita, who put up her bank details on social media to prove that she was paying her own EMIs. Why was there so much of confusion over this flat, where Ankita and Sushant lived together between 2013 and 2016, before he moved out?

BT has spoken to the original owner of the property, and it has emerged that it originally comprised two flats, owned by actor Prashantt Guptha and his family. One flat belonged to his wife and him, while the other one was in his mother’s name. Prashantt had joined the two flats to create a single apartment much before he sold them. For technical reasons, it was registered as two separate flats — one in Sushant’s name and the other in Ankita’s — during the sale.

“I sold my properties to Ankita and Sushant in May 2013. During the sale, there were two separate registries, as they were still individual properties on paper. The payment came to me in two cheques, from the bank that had sanctioned their respective loans. Neither cheques had Sushant or Ankita’s names. When we were dealing with them, my mother-in-law was undergoing treatment for cancer. So, we hardly interacted with Sushant and Ankita. Once the transaction was complete, we didn’t stay in touch,” Prashantt told us.

Now, after Sushant’s death, a question mark hangs over the future of the property. We spoke to advocate Mrunalini Deshmukh, who specialises in cases that often involve division of property, inheritance and alimony. She said, “In matters like ownership of the property, especially flats, the court will analyse the financial contribution made by the owners. It could also be a matter where equal amounts are paid by both the parties. However, if the bank statement shows that Sushant had transferred money to Ankita and Ankita had then paid the EMIs, her direct contribution towards the purchase of the property will have to be explained. There are two flats — one stands in the name of Ankita and one in Sushant. As far as the legal ownership is concerned, Sushant’s legal heirs’ rights will be on his flat. Since he has presumably not left behind a will, his properties will be governed under the provisions of the Hindu Succession Act and will go to his father and his sisters.”

Advocate Kranti Sathe added, “If the properties are exclusively in Sushant and Ankita’s individual names, and they are not joint owners of the two flats, Sushant’s legal heirs will inherit his part. How will Ankita stake her claim? She was not married to him, she is not a legal heir. She is not an ex-wife. However, we will have to check the agreement to see if a percentage in the other flat was also fixed in her name or was there some arrangement that makes her a joint owner. If the flats are exclusively in their names, then Sushant’s flat can definitely be demarcated and it can be inherited by his heirs without Ankita claiming any stake. They can even create a wall in between and demarcate the flat, squarefeet wise. The flats were merged for convenience, but are registered as two separate flats.”