Amitabh Bachchan's Iconic Juhu Bungalow 'Jalsa' Caught in Family Property Dispute As Ramola Challenges 1993 Gift Deed

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan’s landmark Mumbai residence, Jalsa, has landed in the middle of a high-profile family property dispute. Ramola Bachchan, the wife of the veteran actor's younger brother Ajitabh Bachchan, has formally challenged a 1993 gift deed that transferred ownership of the property to Jaya Bachchan.

The controversy has brought decades-old property documents and registration records under intense scrutiny. While the dispute unfolds within the family, representatives for the Bachchans have maintained silence, declining to comment on the matter.

The 1993 Gift Deed Under Scanner

The core of the dispute centres on a gift deed executed in 1993, which reportedly transferred ownership of the Juhu bungalow from Ramola Bachchan to Jaya Bachchan. According to submissions made before registration authorities over a span of seven months, Ramola has claimed she had no prior knowledge of the transaction, maintaining that she neither consented to nor executed the document.

Further complications have arisen over discrepancies in official records. Allegations indicate that efforts were made to remove Ramola's name from the Maharashtra government's Property Card and substitute it solely with Jaya Bachchan's name. However, official archives show that while the property owner is listed as Jaya in the records of the Kapol Housing Society, Ramola's name continues to reflect on the state government's Property Card.

Questions Over Validity and Regularisation

Ramola has questioned the procedural legitimacy of how the 1993 gift deed was originally prepared, registered, and subsequently regularised. Her complaints allege that the document was drawn up on plain paper without the mandatory payment of stamp duty at the time. She has also pointed out the conspicuous absence of valid witness signatures during the initial registration process.

The controversy further highlights that the document was later regularised under the Maharashtra government's Abhay Yojana scheme. The matter has now reached the office of the Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies in Andheri. Deputy Registrar Faiyaz Mulani confirmed that a formal complaint has been received and a hearing initiated, with all involved parties asked to submit their responses. Authorities have stressed that no final conclusion or ruling regarding the validity of the contested deed or the ultimate ownership rights has been reached yet.

History of the Landmark Property

Jalsa, spread across approximately 10,125 square feet in the upscale Juhu suburb of Mumbai, holds immense sentimental and cultural value. Originally named Mansa, the bungalow belonged to film producer N.C. Sippy in the early 1980s. According to accounts from producer Romu Sippy, the property was handed over to Amitabh Bachchan as remuneration for his starring role in the 1982 film Satte Pe Satta.

Although Bachchan later parted with the bungalow, he bought it back at a higher market price following Jaya Bachchan's advice, subsequently renaming it Jalsa and rebuilding the structure into the two-storey celebrity landmark it is today. Beyond its real estate worth, Jalsa is famous for Amitabh Bachchan’s longstanding Sunday tradition of greeting large crowds of gathered fans outside its gates.

As administrative hearings proceed, neither Amitabh nor Jaya Bachchan has issued a public statement. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Abhishek Bachchan dismissed inquiries by describing the situation as an internal family matter.