Rohit Bal passed away unexpectedly on November 1, 2024, due to a threatening prolonged illness. At the age of 63, it was a massive shock for the fashion industry to lose one of its biggest designers. The heartbreaking news of Rohit Bal's demise shocked the global fashion industry, not just in India. From BBC to the New York Times, everyone was talking about the unfortunate demise of the iconic fashion designer.
For the uninitiated, Rohit Bal was reportedly the first designer who dressed renowned Hollywood celebrities like Uma Thurman, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and many more. The TIME magazine recognised him as 'India's Master of Fabric and Fantasy' in their special column about the iconic designer, who inspired generations with his incredible work. Even more remarkable is that Rohit Bal belonged to an ordinary family and had no connections in the fashion world. Yet, he went on to engrave his name in the history of India's fashion industry.
Rohit Bal's journey from studying in a school in Srinagar to pursuing a course at the National Institute of Fashion Technology and designing clothes for Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati, the timeline of his journey is simply magical. Unfortunately, his incredible career as a designer ended on November 1, 2024. However, weeks after his death, Rohit Bal's name once again started making rounds in the headlines, but this time, the reason was quite unexpected and a bit disheartening.
For the unversed, Rohit Bal's family and his ex-boyfriend, Lalit Tehlan claim that they both have the late designer's will. Yes! We have two wills in this case, and here's everything you need to know about this property dispute that is now leading all the headlines. Before we talk about both parties in detail, let's talk about the amount he had left behind. According to several reports, Rohit Bal's wealth is estimated to be between USD 1 million and USD 5 million, which, if converted in INR, falls somewhere between Rs. 8 crores and Rs. 42 crores.
Rohit Bal was born in Srinagar on May 8, 1961, to his parents, Duffy Bal and Rakka Bal. Some media portals have also reported that the names of the ace designer's parents were Rajan Bal and Prakash Bal. Rohit Bal also had a brother named Rajiv Bal, who stayed away from the media spotlight and is still alive. If the reports are to be believed, Rohit Bal's father passed away when he was just 11, and he and Rajiv were raised by their mother single-handedly. Not much is known about their mother as of now, and Rajiv is the one who is representing the late designer's family in the property case.
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Lalit tehlan is the person, who is challenging Rohit Bal's family in the court over the late designer's will. For the uninitiated, Lalit is a professional male model who was once in an open relationship with Rohit Bal. The couple dated each other for some time and even moved in together. Unfortunately, Rohit and Lalit broke up due to some issues, and the latter tied the knot with Manizhe Karimi in 2011. However, in 2023, Rohit Bal's close friend, Rohit Gandhi, accused Lalit of the designer's deteriorating health. Gandhi stated that Lalit slowly poisoned Rohit and isolated the designer from everyone else.
Sunil Sethi, the Chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), has been appointed as the executor for the high-profile legal case. Upon his appointment, in a conversation with ANI, Sunil Sethi clearly stated that the entire process would be transparent. In a conversation with ANI, the executor also shared that he has read some parts of the wills presented by both parties, Lalit Tehlan and Rajiv Bal. In the coming days, chances are high that we will witness the closure of this high-profile legal case over the property of late designer, Rohit Bal.
According to early media reports, Lalit Tehlan has shockingly revealed that most of the properties that belong to Rohit Bal are a part of the company, Rohit Bal Design Private Limited. Lalit added that while 99 percent of the company belongs to Rohit, only 1 percent belongs to his brother, Rajiv Bal. As a result, as per Lalit, a big chunk of Rohit Bal's property belongs to him and not his brother, Rajiv. In contrast to Lalit's claims, Rajiv has given a fitting response, saying that he has his brother Rohit's will and has no idea what Lalit is talking about.
With two wills and two claimants, the dispute over Rohit Bal's wealth is all set for a legal drama. It will be interesting to see how Sunil Sethi will solve this case, which will unfold a lot of personal details of the late designer. For the uninitiated, Rohit and Sunil were close friends. When the latter was chosen to execute his late friend's will, it came as a shock to him. However, Sunil admitted that he would do the utmost justice to the job and would keep things transparent for everyone to see.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing court dispute over Rohit Bal's property? Let us know.
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