Srichand Hinduja, the patriarch of UK’s richest families, has died at age 87

Srichand Hinduja died at age 87. He was the head of Britain’s wealthiest family.

Hinduja was suffering from dementia, and his situation became the focus of a bitter family feud which culminated in a court case about whether or not he should go into public care.

A family spokesperson said that he was the eldest of the four brothers who founded Hinduja Group. He died on Wednesday.

The spokesman stated that he “passed peacefully” and his relatives “cared for” him. He was hailed as a “visionary giant of industry and business”.

The Hindujas topped the Sunday Times Rich List in 2022 with a fortune estimated at £28.4 billion ($35.4 billion).

According to court documents that were filed in November, a London-based judge stated that Hinduja’s family dispute had “marginalised her needs” despite having a vast amount of money at their disposal.

The family members claimed they had resolved their differences.

Parmanand Hinduja, the father of the brothers, founded the conglomerate by trading in tea and dried fruit with his sons in Mumbai in 1919.

The business was greatly expanded by the brothers who took over the business in the 1960s.

Hinduja Group – led by Srichand Gopichand, a Londoner – has expanded to encompass interests in power, oil, gas, banking, and health care.

Srichand Hinduja came to the attention of the UK media in the late 90s, amid allegations that a prominent member of Tony Blair’s government improperly lobbied for him to be granted British citizenship.

jit/ach