The Delhi High Court, while dealing with the contentious estate dispute concerning late industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s assets, directed rectification of its earlier order by removing the name of Kapur’s sister, Mandhira Kapur, from the proceedings. The Court held that Mandhira was never formally a party to the suit and her appearance had been incorrectly recorded.
The dispute arises from the succession of Sunjay Kapur’s estate, estimated to be worth over ₹30,000 crore. The litigation was initiated by Samaira and Kiaan, the children from Sunjay’s second marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor, who claim that their father had assured them of their rightful share. They have alleged that their stepmother, Priya Sachdev Kapur, the widow of Sunjay, forged or manipulated his will to exclude them from the inheritance.
During an earlier hearing, the High Court had inadvertently recorded the appearance of Mandhira Kapur, despite her not being a party to the suit. Priya Sachdev subsequently moved an application seeking rectification, contending that Mandhira’s purported entry amounted to a “backdoor attempt” to intervene in the proceedings without filing any impleadment application.
Justice Jyoti Singh, after considering the submissions, allowed the rectification application filed by Priya Sachdev and ordered that Mandhira’s name be deleted from the record. The application stressed that no legal mechanism permitted such participation, branding the attempt as “mischievous” and an “abuse of process of law” designed to create an erroneous record before the Court.
The Court also directed Priya to furnish a comprehensive list of Sunjay Kapur’s movable and immovable assets, keeping the matter on track for detailed examination.
The estate battle continues, with the primary issue revolving around the validity of the will allegedly executed on March 21, which Priya presented during a family meeting in July. Karisma Kapoor, while not a plaintiff herself, is representing her children in the proceedings. The matter is now slated for further hearing on October 9, where the Court is expected to examine claims of inheritance, alleged will forgery, and the competing rights of the heirs.
Source PTI
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