Durban - Anusha Bisaal has had many wins in her life.
This week, she scored again - a significant victory in a court case that gave her back the rights to the Mrs India South Africa beauty pageant which she founded years ago.
Bisaal, together with her husband Roshan and a close corporation (Mrs India South Africa CC), took Annulutchmee Thaver and Deon Ganas to court in May this year.
In her founding affidavit presented to the court by attorney Rajesh Hiralall, Bisaal said Thaver and Ganas had wrongfully, unlawfully and fraudulently caused her and her husband to be removed from the Registrar of Companies register as members of the close corporation.
When the couple were removed, Thaver became the only member of the Mrs India South Africa CC, holding a 100% interest in the close corporation.
However, at no stage did either Bisaal or her husband transfer their membership interests to Thaver or Ganas.
She said instructed a forensic document examiner, Mike Irving, to provide an expert opinion on the signatures, which had been appended on two documents.
Annulutchmee Thaver and Deon Ganas.
Picture: Supplied
“From that report it is evident that Irving studied the disputed documents and came to the conclusion that the (name of the) additional member, identified as Thaver Annulutchmee, applied to the CK2/2 amendment letter on the Mrs India-South Africa CC letterhead, was cut and pasted. Irving reached a similar conclusion with the second document.”
Bisaal said the signatures had been forged which resulted in them losing their interests in the pageant.
On Monday, Judge Gregory Kruger ruled in the Durban High Court that the documents be declared a forgery.
In a statement following the ruling, Bisaal said: “I handed the Mrs India South Africa with good intentions to a person who promised to fulfil the vision and mission of Mrs India SA. Unfortunately, about two months after signing the agreement, there were concerns. Then followed with breach of the agreement and later to (the) shocking discovery (that) my company was transferred without my consent.
“I am relieved that justice prevailed. I hold Mrs India SA very close to my heart. I created this platform to empower women to empower others by displaying the better version of themselves.
“I also wanted to give women an opportunity to be recognised for their worth and achievements, and salute them for (the) contribution to their family, society and nation at large.
“The purpose was defeated by ‘new’ management. Mrs India South Africa will rise rapidly as it was not the brand that was tarnished but the names of the people behind it .”
Ganas and Thaver released a joint statement: “We have purchased the Mrs India SA Brand lawfully and we are in possession of a purchase and sale agreement and we have proof of payment, both of which are signed by both parties. We only submitted documents that we received (from) the Bisaals.
“We are contesting the allegations of forgery. It is rather unfortunate that the Bisaals had a change of heart after accepting full payment and after us spending hundreds of thousands in re-branding and taking Mrs India SA to another level in pageantry.
“Judge Kruger has identified the CK2 document as being forged but did not identify the culprit, which means that it releases us of these allegations.”