In a significant development in the ongoing inheritance battle over the estate of late business tycoon Sunjay Kapur, his wife Priya Kapur has mounted a robust defense against allegations of forging his will. The claims were brought forth by Sunjay’s children from his previous marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor. Priya Kapur firmly asserted that the will in question is “prima facie valid” and dismissed the lawsuit challenging it as “bogus” and lacking any valid cause of action. This marks a new phase in the intense legal dispute concerning Sunjay Kapur’s substantial ₹30,000 crore estate, as proceedings continue in the Delhi High Court.
Representing Priya Kapur, senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar presented a compelling argument before Justice Jyoti Singh’s bench. Nayyar highlighted that Priya is not merely a homemaker but a qualified investment banker. He posited that if Priya had intended to forge the will, which purportedly bequeaths the entire estate to her, it would have been executed flawlessly without any errors. Nayyar further argued, “The will is prima facie valid. Actually, the forgery, if it has to be, it has to be complete. No mistakes will be left. This lady was not a housewife, but an investment banker. I ask myself, for the forgery to be complete, will there be mistakes left? And will I spell my own son’s name incorrectly as a mother?”
Sunjay Kapur, the former chairperson of Sona Comstar, passed away in London on June 12 due to a cardiac arrest while playing polo. He was previously married to Nandita Mahtani and later to actor Karisma Kapoor, with whom he had two children, Samaira and Kiaan. In 2017, he married model-actor and businesswoman Priya, with whom he had a son, Azarius.
The legal dispute escalated when Samaira and Kiaan filed a suit on September 9, alleging that Priya Kapur presented the will for the first time on July 30 during a family meeting, without prior disclosure. They are seeking a one-fifth share of their father’s estate each. The children claim that Priya, in collusion with attesting witnesses Nitin Sharma and Dinesh Agarwal, fabricated the document under “suspicious circumstances.” They pointed to alleged “glaring blunders” in the will, including misspelling their half-brother Azarius’s name multiple times, incorrect addresses, and the absence of an attached schedule, as evidence of forgery.
Nayyar countered these assertions by arguing that minor errors or discrepancies should not invalidate the will or cast doubt on its authenticity. He also emphasized that it was not unusual for Sunjay Kapur to leave his estate to Priya, given that he had already made significant financial provisions for his children, Samaira and Kiaan, through a trust. This included a substantial transfer of ₹1,900 crore just a day before the suit was filed.