A high-stakes legal battle is unfolding in the Delhi high court over the substantial inheritance of the late business tycoon Sunjay Kapur, estimated to be worth ₹30,000 crore. The conflict has intensified as Samaira and Kiaan, Kapur’s children with acclaimed actress Karisma Kapoor, have leveled serious accusations against their stepmother, Priya Kapur. They allege that Priya not only forged Sunjay Kapur’s will but also claims she is an ‘acute gambler’.
Representing Samaira and Kiaan, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani informed the court that Priya, along with witnesses Nitin Sharma and Dinesh Agarwal, allegedly conspired to fabricate the will without Sunjay Kapur’s true involvement. Jethmalani argued that if the forgery is proven, Priya could forfeit any wealth she has accrued under the trust, stating, “The lady is an acute gambler. Good luck to her. She (Priya) is not a true inheritor of the spirit of Sunjay Kapur. She is a pretender of Sunjay’s assets.” He urged the court to prevent Priya from transferring any of Sunjay’s assets to third parties.
Sunjay Kapur, former chairperson of the automotive technology firm Sona Comstar, passed away on June 12 this year after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing polo in London. His personal life was marked by previous marriages to Nandita Mahtani and Karisma Kapoor, with whom he had his two children, Samaira and Kiaan. His divorce from Karisma was finalized in 2016, and he married model-actor and businesswoman Priya Sachdev the following year. Priya, a prominent figure in Delhi’s social circles, has a son, Azarius, with Kapur.
The legal challenge initiated by Samaira and Kiaan claims that Priya presented the alleged will only on July 30 during a family meeting. The children are seeking a one-fifth share of their father’s estate. Their lawsuit, filed on September 9, highlights that Priya had never previously disclosed the existence of any will, either through conversations or messages, before this family gathering.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Jethmalani strongly contested the validity of the will, which reportedly bequeaths Kapur’s entire estate to Priya. He pointed to significant discrepancies in the document’s content and execution, noting grammatical errors in pronouns referring to Kapur. “When you get ‘she’ and ‘her’ wrong in four different places… anyone who relates him with a will like this would commit a disservice. It would ruin the man’s reputation,” he argued, emphasizing these errors suggest the will was not drafted by Kapur himself.
Jethmalani further highlighted suspicious circumstances surrounding the will, particularly noting that while it named Kapur’s children, his stepdaughter Safira Chatwal (Priya’s daughter from her first marriage), and his son Azarius as beneficiaries, it conspicuously omitted his mother, Rani Kapur. He questioned this omission, stating, “There are suspicious circumstances about the emergence of the will and its final delivery. There is a serious infirmity at all the different stages of the will. Unless Sunjay was of unsound mind, incapable of reading English, he would have never signed this.” He also expressed surprise that Kapur’s mother, who was always provided for during his lifetime, was excluded from the will.
Describing Sunjay Kapur as a “digital ghost,” Jethmalani argued that the will lacked any digital footprint or handwriting evidence of his involvement, questioning its authenticity. He specifically pointed out misspellings of Azarius’s name and an incorrect address for Samaira in the document.
This legal dispute follows a previous family disagreement where Rani Kapur, Sunjay’s mother, claimed to be the sole beneficiary of her late husband Surinder Kapur’s estate. She alleged being coerced into signing documents without full disclosure. Notably, Rani Kapur had also expressed concerns about Priya’s appointment as a non-executive director at Sona Comstar during the company’s annual general meeting, stating, “It is unfortunate that while the family and I are still in mourning, some people have chosen this as an opportune time to wrest control and usurp the family legacy.” She also reportedly mentioned her son’s death under “highly suspicious and unexplained circumstances.”
The court hearing is set to continue on Wednesday, with Priya Kapur’s legal counsel expected to present their arguments.