Rani Kapur accuses daughter-in-law Priya Kapur of grabbing control of Sunjay Kapur’s assets immediately after his death

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday heard allegations from Rani S Kapur, mother of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, who claimed that her daughter-in-law Priya Sachdev Kapur moved swiftly to take charge of Sunjay’s properties and business interests instead of mourning his passing.

Rani told the court that she was never informed about any will left behind by her son. She argued that the document Priya relies on not only fails to mention her existence but is also inconsistent with Sunjay’s lifelong acknowledgement that he owed everything to his mother. “If he truly intended to leave me out, he would have said so expressly,” her counsel submitted during the hearing.

The case arises out of a civil suit filed by Sunjay’s children from his marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor, Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Raj Kapur, who have challenged the authenticity of the alleged will that reportedly distributes Sunjay’s assets, estimated at nearly Rs 30,000 crore.

The court has listed the matter for continued hearing on December 3.

Senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, appearing for Rani Kapur, told the court that it was “highly improbable” that Sunjay would choose to leave his entire personal estate solely to Priya when he shared close ties with all his children, his mother, and the wider Kapur family.

Referring to the chain of events in the days following Sunjay’s sudden death on June 12 in the UK, Rani has alleged that Priya hurriedly consolidated control over his companies and assets.

Rani has claimed that Priya deliberately hid substantial portions of Sunjay’s wealth in the asset list filed before the court, including high-value artworks, watches, bank accounts, insurance policies, rental income and other investments.

The asset statements, according to Rani, are incomplete and inconsistent with Sunjay’s known earnings and lifestyle. Case records highlight that Sunjay had earned Rs 60 crore in the financial year just before his demise, making the declared asset value of around Rs 1.7 crore appear implausibly low.

Her counsel further highlighted contradictions regarding the disclosure of the alleged will. While Priya initially claimed there was no will, a copy was later circulated selectively, first to the executor and much later to Sunjay’s children, and only after Priya had already taken control of several assets.

However, Priya Kapur, during the earlier hearings, stated that the plaintiffs’ narrative has shifted repeatedly from claiming there was no Will, to raising typographical objections, to suddenly disputing the signature.

The defence characterised this conduct as an attempt to reframe the dispute each time the previous theory collapses under evidence. It has also been argued that the plaintiffs’ actions after Sunjay’s passing reflected an exclusive focus on the Trust, not the Will – behaviour that the defence described as the conduct of parties seeking more despite already receiving significant benefits.

Arguments from Priya Kapur earlier in the week also stated that no factual or legal basis has been presented to invalidate the Will, only assumptions stretched into suspicion.

Sunjay’s children, Samaira and Kiaan, have sought an interim injunction restraining Priya from dealing with or diminishing their father’s assets until the court decides the validity of the will.

ASunjay Kapur collapsed during a polo match in England on June 12 and reportedly suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. His mother has raised concerns about the lack of transparency around key documents, including the post-mortem report, which she says was withheld from her despite repeated requests. (ANI)