Taxi driver who ‘disrespected’ dead father by wearing tartan hat on day of funeral takes

A taxi driver has taken his brother to court after he was cut out of his father’s £400,000 will having been accused of ‘disrespect’ for wearing a tartan hat on the day of the funeral.

Bani Verma claims that his father, Gowerdhan Dass who died at 89 in February 2024, was ‘unduly influenced’ to leave his estate to Bani’s younger brother, driving instructor Harish Verma, and Harish’s wife Paramjit.

That was in line with a will that Mr Dass made in November 2023 – just three months before his sudden death.

But the inheritance is now at the centre of a court clash between Harish, 57, and Bani, a 67-year-old cabbie.

Bani says their father was pressured to go back on a will from 2015 that divided his estate equally among his family.

His lawyers are accusing Harish of turning Mr Dass against his eldest son and of plundering their father’s money before he died, including using £18,750 to buy a Jaguar for his wife.

Barrister Richard Buston, representing Bani, said the father’s fortune had been ‘decimated’ by Harish before his death and that Harish and his wife isolated ‘elderly, frail and vulnerable’ Mr Dass from his wider family in his final years.

However, Harish insists that Bani was emotionally distant from their father, disrespected him and mocked his memory by wearing a garish Tam o’Shanter on the day of his funeral. 

Bani Verma, 67, pictured outside Central London County Court, is in a legal battle with his brother Harish over their late father’s £400,000 will

Bani Verma has been accused by his brother Harish’s lawyers of having ‘disrespected’ their father by wearing a tartan Tam o’Shanter hat on the day of his funeral 

Gowerdhan Dass died aged 89 in February 2024, leaving his estate to his youngest son, driving instructor Harish Verma (pictured), and Harish’s wife Paramjit, according to his 2023 will

The brothers are now battling in court over which will stands.

Central London County Court heard that Mr Dass’s 2015 will had split his money four ways between the families of Harish, Bani and his two other children.

But under the 2023 will, driving instructor Harish and his wife got the lot, leaving Bani and the rest of the family empty-handed.

Nina Roberts, representing Harish, explained the logic behind the new will, telling Judge Jonathan Cohen that Mr Dass had visited Harish ‘every day’ after moving to Slough from Southall, west London, in 2010.

She said that despite trusting and relying on his younger son, Mr Dass continued to live an independent life – even visiting India between two and four months every  year.

But despite Bani’s claims that he visited his father, who had been a surveyor before working at Heathrow Airport, up to four times a year, Ms Roberts said the evidence indicated that ‘the last time he visited his father was in January 2022’.

She also highlighted evidence from Mr Dass’s mobile phone log, which she said showed no calls from Bani between February 2022 and his father’s death.

She added: ‘It is therefore submitted that the court can conclude that the last visit from Bani was nearly two years before the 2023 will.’

Central London County Court heard that an earlier 2015 will by Mr Dass (pictured) had split his money four ways between the families of Harish, Bani and his two other children

Harish’s wife Paramjit Kaur Verma is seen here outside Central London County Court after a hearing into the disputed will of her father-in-law, Gowerdhan Dass

Bani’s lawyers are accusing Harish of plundering their father’s money before he died, including using £18,750 to buy this Jaguar for his wife

Harish and his wife had become an anchor for Mr Dass during the last two years of his life, Ms Roberts said.

The court also heard that the solicitor who administered the will recorded a ‘lack of contact’ as the driving force for Mr Dass to cut Bani out of it.

Ms Roberts said Bani showed ‘disrespect’ for his father both during his life and even afterwards, pointing out he donned ‘inappropriate’ Scottish headgear on the day of his funeral while ‘laughing and smiling as if it were a wedding’.

She said: ‘It is submitted that his actions since the deceased’s death call into question the credibility of Bani’s evidence.

‘On the day of the funeral, Bani wore a Scottish tartan Tam o’ Shanter hat to Harish’s home.’

This was disrespectful to the deceased since neither of them have Scottish heritage, Ms Roberts told the court.

She said: ‘It is submitted that this behaviour demonstrates the level of respect Bani had for the deceased in his lifetime.’

But Bani’s barrister rejected the claims, telling the judge that Harish had cut him off from contact with their father in his final years.

Mr Buston said: ‘Bani Verma contends that, during the material period, the deceased was elderly, frail and was isolated by (Harish) and (his wife), who have taken control over his finances and in the latest round of bank statements disclosed appeared to have made repeated and significant withdrawals/transfers/payments from the deceased’s accounts, running them down.

‘In short, Bani says the deceased was vulnerable and was exploited by Harish, who over time made himself joint account holder to the deceased’s accounts and shut the deceased off from friends and family and had a hand in the creation of the 2023 will.’

Mr Buston also claimed Harish exerted ‘undue influence’ over the pensioner and transferred ‘streams’ of cash from his father’s accounts.

Despite Harish’s insistence that he did not control his father’s finances, Mr Buston said this was ‘difficult to reconcile’ with multiple cash transfers involving a ‘substantial amount of the deceased’s money’.

He pinpointed seven specific cash transfers, totalling around £41,000, made to Harish or his family, which he claimed called for an explanation.

These are said to have included £18,750 paid into Harish’s account to buy a Jaguar ‘subsequently said to have been gifted to Paramjit’.

Other non-specific amounts of cash originating from Mr Dass were spent on Harish’s ‘family travel, celebrations, food and gifts’, the barrister alleged.

As Mr Dass grew increasingly old and frail, he was also gradually ‘isolated’ from Bani and his wider family by Harish, claimed Mr Buston – adding that Harish led their father to wrongly believe his older son had ‘abandoned’ him.

Mr Buston said: ‘In the present case, the court is invited to infer that the account allegedly given by the deceased that Bani and other members of the family had ceased contact with or abandoned him, did not reflect the true history of the family relationships.

‘It was contradicted by the evidence of continuing visits, telephone contact, and family occasions.’

Rejecting claims that Harish genuinely believed that his brother had cut off contact with his father, the barrister continued: ‘The 2015 will divided the estate between the principal branches of the family.

‘The 2023 will excluded those said to have abandoned the deceased and conferred the entire residue upon Harish and his wife.

‘Harish also had both the opportunity and a substantial financial motive to poison the deceased’s mind.

‘The court is accordingly invited to find, on the balance of probabilities and upon strong and cogent evidence, that Harish deliberately or recklessly promoted a false account of abandonment and estrangement; that the account poisoned the deceased’s mind against Bani and other natural beneficiaries; and that it materially caused the execution of the 2023 will.’

Ms Roberts said Harish denied inducing his father to ‘falsely believe that Bani did not call or visit’ – denying claims of ‘fraudulent calumny’ by her client.

Mr Dass had been mentally sharp in his last years and knew what he was doing when he signed off his last will, she said, adding that there was no question of Harish trying to isolate him.

Ms Roberts told the court: ‘The deceased was a jolly, sociable man who had a close relationship with his youngest son, as demonstrated by their involvement in each other’s lives, including financial transactions dating back to the joint purchase of a property in India in the 1990s.

‘Whilst Bani may have expected an inheritance as the son of the deceased, this does not lead to Harish having coerced his father into making the 2023 will.’

After two days in court, the judge adjourned the case for the parties to put in more evidence, with the case set to resume later this month.