Valli Arunachalam, who has been battling with Murugappa Group against alleged gender bias, welcomed the recent Supreme Court judgement clarifying the 2005 amendment to the Hindu Succession Act of 1956. She told Maulik Vyas in an email interview that she hopes the ruling will propel more women to business leadership positions. Arunachalam is daughter of former executive chairman MV Murugappan, who died in 2017. She says she was denied a board position in holding company Ambadi Investments Ltd (AIL), despite being heiress. Arunachalam, her sister and their mother hold 8% in AIL. The court said a daughter would have an equal share of the inheritance as a son regardless of when she was born and whether her father was alive when the Hindu Succession Act was amended in 2005. Edited excerpts:How do you see the recent Supreme Court ruling in the light of your fight for equal rights and a seat on the board at the Murugappa Group holding company?It is a big win for Indian women. As they say, daughters are special and now they are equal too, in the eyes of the law. We are at a watershed moment wherein the shackles of patriarchal society are being broken. Consequently, I expect increased involvement of women in family businesses and companies. While this ruling is not directly relevant to my situation, I am extremely happy for the millions of Indian women who will now be able to rightfully claim what is theirs. I for one benefitted from the 2005 amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, which gave daughters equal rights to ancestral property and the right to become the karta of the HUF (Hindu Undivided Family) if their father died after the act was enforced. Being the eldest child, I was able to become the karta of my father’s HUF and continue the affairs of the HUF.How do you see the recent ruling playing out in conservative/traditional business families?The judgement includes everyone, whether they hail from modern or conservative/traditional business families. The issue is that very often, women are given just a token of what is due to them, whether these are assets or responsibilities in the business. In patriarchal families, women are afraid to raise their voice to claim what is rightfully due to them. With this ruling, law clarifies that all women have equal rights to ancestral property, irrespective of when they were born or when their father died. It has paved the way for greater involvement of women in their family businesses and, hopefully, this will, propel them to leadership positions. My fight for equality is not just for my immediate family but for all women. I will continue this fight. For too long, women have been overlooked in family businesses. There is a mindset change which is required. Hopefully, this judgment can bring about this change.What is the status of discussions at the Murugappa Group?There are some discussions but currently there is not much headway. My appointment as a director to the board of Ambadi Investments Ltd (AIL) would be a first step in the ongoing discussions with the family. To that end, the company requested me for certain documents which I have duly provided.
Do you plan to take legal steps if negotiations don’t make headway?We have always been in favour of settlement within the family which can be achieved only through mutual and amicable communication. We have been trying to find a solution for a while now, so we will see how this transpires. That said, our fight for justice will continueWhat measures have you sought?As far as my issue is concerned, we are hopeful that some resolution will come from the family, eventually. Any subsequent course of action would depend on how the current situation pans out. The documents provided are routine documents as instructed by the company secretary.
