Two sisters of Kirit Pathak, chief of the £ 50 million Pathak business, one of Britain’s best known Indian food companies, are suing him for a share of the family fortune, claiming they were victims of the Hindu tradition “which treated women unequally.” Chitralekha Mahta and Anila Shastri, who are suing their 51-year-old brother in the high court, said they once had shares but gave them to their mother Shantagaury for safe-keeping, only to find that she had passed them to their brother.Kirit, who was awarded the OBE in 1996, says his sisters’ legally-aided claim is now out of time because it took them eight years after he took over the company to inquire about the shares. Anila, 52, is suing Shantagaury, Kirit and his company Worldwing Investments for the value of her shares. Chitralekha, 56, is suing just Kirit. The high court heard how their father, Laxmishanker Pathak, arrived in London from Kenya in 1955 with the family and built the empire over 30 years.In 1989, the women agreed to transfer the shares to their mother, believing that it was for business reasons and that they would be returned. Shantagaury was in Court 51 yesterday while her daughters spoke from the witness box. ‘‘I did not believe my parents would disown us,’’ said Anila.Much of the credit for the Pathak success has been given to Kirit’s wife Meena, who created recipes for tikka and tandoori pastes in a jar.
