Priya Kapur usurping family trust: Sunjay Kapur's mother seeks relief in estate row

Despite the Supreme Court appointing former Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud to mediate the Sunjay Kapur estate dispute, the late industrialist mother Rani Kapur has moved the top court again, alleging that his third wife Priya Sachdev Kapur is taking illegal control of the disputed RK Family Trust and its assets.

In a fresh plea, 80-year-old Rani Kapur sought urgent relief to restrain Priya Kapur and other family members from interfering in the affairs of the trust, while mediation proceedings remain pending. The dispute revolves around the control of the Sona Group family estate, which Rani Kapur claims was transferred into the RK Family Trust through “forged” and “fraudulent” documents without her consent, effectively depriving her of her inheritance, properties and financial assets.

In her fresh plea, Rani Kapur sought directions restraining Priya Kapur and others from interfering in the affairs of the trust while mediation proceedings remain pending before the Supreme Court.

She has also sought a pause on a board meeting scheduled for May 18 by Raghuvanshi Investment Pvt Ltd, a company holding a substantial part of the disputed estate. Her counsel told the court the meeting was aimed at appointing additional directors to the board.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan has listed the matter for hearing on May 14.

Last week, the Supreme Court formally referred the family dispute to mediation and appointed former CJI Chandrachud as mediator. It asked all parties to participate with an “open mind” and avoid making public statements or discussing the matter on social media.

“It is a family dispute. Let it remain within the family,” the court had observed.

The legal battle began after Rani Kapur challenged the validity of the RK Family Trust, claiming she was the sole beneficiary of the estate of her late husband Surinder Kapur, the founder of the Sona Group. Her plea alleged that a “systematic fraud” was carried out in collusion with her late son to transfer all her assets into the trust without her consent.

The Supreme Court had earlier noted that prolonged litigation at Rani Kapur’s age would serve little purpose and urged all sides to explore an amicable settlement.

Sunjay Kapur died on June 12 last year after collapsing during a polo match in England. Separately, the children of actor Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur have also challenged the authenticity of his purported will before the Delhi High Court.

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(with inputs from PTI)