A Kwality large scoop of ‘insult, betrayal, deceit’

A scoop of success sours into a bitter family war The legacy of Mumbairsquos iconic lsquoKwalityrsquo ice cream and InterContinental Hotel is melting down in a dramatic fatherson feud Ailing tycoon Ravi Ghai has accused his son Gaurav of betrayal forgery and usurping the Graviss Group while he battled cancer But the company claims Ravi is being misled by outside forces and insists the matter is civil not criminalWhatrsquos the battle aboutThe Graviss Group includes the InterContinental Hotel Kwality Ice Cream and the Baskin Robbins chain The business was founded nearly seven decades ago by Ravirsquos father Iqbal K Ghai and expanded by Ravi Ghai himself He now alleges that his son manipulated company shares and board appointments during a time when Ravi was bedridden while undergoing cancer treatmentGaurav Ghai Ravi Ghairsquos sonldquoIrsquom fighting to recover assets stolen by my son mdash someone I trustedrdquo Ravi Ghai told midday ldquoI was the Chairman and MD of the Graviss Group for decades After I fell ill I asked him to take care of the business But instead of supporting me he bullied the professionals I had hired changed board members forged signatures mdash just to hijack what I builtrdquoldquoHe couldnrsquot wait for me to dierdquo said Ghai ldquoIrsquove submitted a complaint to the Marine Drive police but I donrsquot believe an FIR has been filed yet Irsquove also been informed that Gaurav hasnrsquot responded to the police inquiryrdquolsquoWas insulted amp humiliatedrsquoAsked where he was when the alleged forgery took place Ghai said ldquoI was undergoing cancer treatment in London and Dubai around 4ndash5 years ago I tried settling it within the family I asked for some shares for my daughters and myself but there was no response I kept appealing but all I received was insultrdquoAiling tycoon Ravi Ghai at home in Nariman Point PicsAshish Raje right Gaurav Ghai son of Ravi GhaiHe added ldquoEmployees who worked with me for 30ndash40 years were told not to speak to me That was humiliating I deserved respect mdash but received nonerdquo ldquoI want back everything I gave him It runs into thousands of croresrdquo said Ghai He added that his daughters fully support him mdash ldquobut my son does notrdquolsquoRegret giving away equityrsquoldquoThis is a hard lesson Senior citizens should never part with their assets while alive I regret giving him my equity He didnrsquot stop there mdash he wanted everything Todayrsquos generation is driven by greedrdquo After submitting his complaint police visited Ghairsquos Nariman Point apartment on May 30 to record his detailed statementRavirsquos statement to copsIn 2020 on Gauravrsquos 50th birthday he gifted his son 49 per cent of his company shares through a Gift Deed He was seriously ill at the time and would travel abroad for his treatment and believed his son would run the business responsiblyOn returning to India periodically he was asked to sign several documents ldquofor business purposesrdquo which he now suspects were misused In early 2025 the monthly Rs 125 lakh Gaurav gave him stopped abruptly When questioned Gaurav allegedly stalled and stopped all payments A senior company official later informed him that Gaurav had made himself ldquoselfappointed Chairmanrdquo and seized full control of the businessGauravrsquos side respondsWhen contacted a spokesperson for the Graviss Group said ldquoWe are deeply disturbed by the allegations levelled by Ravi Ghai against his son Gaurav Ghai in a police complaint Ravi Ghai has made false and frivolous claims We believe he may be acting under duress or under the influence of nefarious elements taking advantage of his agerdquoldquoThe Ghai Group of companies was established by the late IK Ghai and has seen extensive growth under the stewardship of Gaurav Ghai The Graviss Group as it is now known owns and manages the InterContinental Hotel in Mumbai the Baskin Robbins franchise in SAARC Kwality Ice Cream in the GCC and several other food and hospitalityrelated businessesrdquo the statement sent to midday readldquoRavi Ghai parted ways with the Graviss Group and family agreements were entered into in 2021 and 2023 setting out the understanding between family members Both agreements were finalised after extensive negotiations involving reputed law firms It was agreed that Ravi would have no role in the management of the group The shares still held by Ravi Ghai in Graviss Hospitality Limited have been frozenput on hold in favour of Gaurav Ghairdquo the statement further notedldquoWe are shocked that despite Ravi Ghai being paid as agreed and no longer having any beneficial interest in the family assets or business entities mdash with full management rights confirmed in favour of Gaurav Ghai mdash he has filed such a complaint with the police With his substantial wealth Ravi Ghai is an NRI who resides abroad for most of the year The complaint which invokes the Maintenance of Senior Citizens Act suggests that either mischievous elements are involved or there is a serious misunderstanding of the applicable lawrdquo it addedldquoLastly the nature of the dispute between father and son is civil The matter is already under arbitration The Supreme Court has consistently held that civil disputes should not be converted into criminal cases We have submitted our response to the police and believe that the Mumbai police will act in accordance with the law laid down by the Supreme Court and not act upon the false complaint filed by Ravi Ghairdquo the statement concludedLawyers speakAdvocate Peter Fernandes a close associate of Ravi Ghai said ldquoDuring this vulnerable period Gaurav allegedly forged a lsquoSupplementary Family Settlement Agreementrsquo dated August 25 2023 to illegally grab his fatherrsquos assets This is a betrayal of a man who built an empire from scratchrdquo ldquoDespite being a senior citizen and a cancer patient Ravi Ghai has received little to no assistance from the police or other authorities concernedrdquo Fernandes addedPolice speakA senior officer at Marine Drive police station said ldquoIt is true that Ravi Ghairsquos statement was recorded on May 30 after we received his complaint against his son Gaurav Ghai The matter is still under investigation which is why an FIR has not yet been registeredrdquoOctogenarian cancerstricken patriarch Ravi Ghai of the iconic ice cream brand has accused his son Gaurav Ghai of robbing him of his legacy and multicrore empire while he was bedridden has dragged the case through police stations He now alleges that his son manipulatedhellip pictwittercomKvMrwaFRPlmdash Mid Day mid_day July 8 2025