At the center of a family feud, a sick British billionaire is denied adequate care

At the center of a family feud, a British billionaire in the 1980s suffering from dementia has found himself deprived of adequate care, prompting a judge to consider his placement in a public retirement home, we learned Friday after justice accepted that the names at the center of the case are being revealed.

The case concerns Srichand Hinduja, who is 86 and the oldest among the wealthiest family in the UK. The family’s wealth exceeds 28 billion pounds (about 44 billion dollars), according to the 2022 rating of the Sunday Times.

Mr Hinduja, suffering from dementia, was admitted to hospital in March 2021, but when his health improved, his family was unable to find a solution to house him and provide care for him despite the “extraordinary range of their financial means”, as Judge Hayden lamented. A transcript of the session, details of which appeared on Friday.

Stressing that Mr Hinduja had been “marginalized” by his family, the judge said he had “considered placing him in a public retirement home”.

For Judge Hayden, Srichand’s “vulnerability is alarming and deeply saddening.” “I was told he was a well liked and respected man. That is not what happens to him. He was not respected” in this case.

In cases involving people whose mental health prevents them from making decisions on their own, the names of the main characters are generally not made public, but the appeals court made an exception at the request of journalists who indicated the public interest of the case.

The Hinduja family, particularly the brothers Srichand and Gopichand, chairs the Hinduja International Group which has a private business in banking, finance and health and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide.

The family agreement erupted after a dispute over a bank in Switzerland. The conflict then continued after Srichand Hinduja fell ill, as he gave power of attorney to his daughters to manage his affairs.

While the case has yet to be resolved, the family assured Judge Hayden that they agreed to the “Terms and Conditions” to end “all litigation.”

The two daughters of Srichand Hinduja have agreed to relinquish the powers of attorney granted by their father after a “flagrant conflict of interest” according to the judge, who claims to have appointed a third party to run the affairs of the 80-year-old.