The inheritance battle over Sunjay Kapur's Rs 30,000-crore assets got murkier today with the senior lawyer appearing for Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor's children comparing the late industrialist's widow, Priya Sachdev Kapur, to Cinderella's stepmother.
"She is like Cinderella's stepmother," senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani said, referring to Priya Sachdev Kapur. Jethmalani didn't stop there; he then went ahead to call her "greedy" for allegedly securing "60 per cent" of her late husband's assets.
"She is greedy. She got 60 per cent of the assets and allotted 12 per cent to her son... She is only concerned with her personal assets," he said during a proceeding in the Delhi High Court peppered with high drama. "Cinderella" is a popular fairy tale about the eponymous protagonist who lived with her stepmother and stepsisters before she was blessed with a remarkable fortune. Her stepmother was the main antagonist of the tale, depicted as a cold-hearted woman.
The Delhi High Court was hearing a petition by Karisma Kapoor's children - Samaira and Kiaan Kapoor - seeking a share in their late father's assets.
They sought the status quo on assets left behind by Kapur. "The prayer basically is for a status quo in respect of creating third-party rights in the will," Jethmalani said.
Samaira and Kiaan Kapoor have accused their stepmother, Priya Sachdev Kapur (Sunjay Kapur's third wife), of usurping the "full control" of their father's assets by "forging" his will, dated March 21, 2025, after his sudden death in June this year in the United Kingdom. Karisma Kapoor was his second wife.
The petitioners reiterated the forgery charge in the court today, saying, It's a manifestly forged document... It's a conspiracy; there is enough material for a criminal complaint".
"The forgery of a will attracts life imprisonment. It's a case where you are taking the entire justice system to be a joke," they said.
The will allegedly leaves Sunjay Kapur's entire personal estate to Priya Sachdev Kapur.
Questioning the validity of the will, Jethmalani argued that a man of Sunjay Kapur's position would have consulted a lawyer before creating such an important document. However, it looks like a "clumsy forgery", something "no lawyer would take credit for".
"When I read the will, it is such a clumsy forgery that I dare say that no lawyer worth his salt would take credit for the creation of that will. It is impossible that Sunjay Kapur, bequeathing such a large estate in particular, would not have consulted a lawyer and got the will drafted by him. This question is not answered. Who drafted it? It is not a lawyer," he said.
The lawyer also claimed that Sunjay Kapur "has no role in this will"."The will was last modified in March. Between 15-18 March, Sunjay was on holiday with plaintiff 2 (Kiaan)."
"He cut short his holiday because his mother fell ill, and this will is modified on March 17. But by whom? Not by Sunjay. This Word file was stored on someone else's device…and this person was later made a director," he added.
Mahesh Jethmalani also said the people who forged the will got rewarded. " eople who forged the will got rewarded. Nitin (Sharma) was made a director in one of the companies," he said, pointing to an alleged "conspiracy".
Nitin Sharma is allegedly an aide of Priya Sachdev Kapur. Earlier, Samaira and her brother claimed that Sachdev Kapur conspired with her two associates, Dinesh Agarwal and Nitin Sharma, to suppress the will for weeks before revealing it at a family meeting.
The children, represented by their mother, have sought one-fifth share each in their late father's assets. This present suit filed is separate from what they will inherit from the RK Family Trust, named after Sunjay Kapur's mother, Rani Kapur.
Today in court, Jethmani claimed that the plaintiffs were not given anything and "no reason was given for disinheritance". "You have to say specifically why they are being denied and most importantly, the mother (Rani Kapur)…she has been given nothing."
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