By Dilip Bobb

Where there is a will, there is a way—to contest it. That just about sums up the high-profile legal battle that has broken out over entrepreneur Sunjay Kapur’s estate valued at an eye-popping Rs 30,000 crore since his sudden death in London last June. While there are no questions over the cause of his death—the coroner report says it was “due to natural causes, specifically left ventricular hypertrophy and ischemic heart disease”, during a polo match, unlike most other high-profile battles over inheritance (the Ambani brothers, the Hinduja brothers and the Kalyani family are prime examples)—the Kapur saga has taken such a divisive turn because he was married three times. 

His first marriage to fashion designer Nandita Mahtani in 1996 lasted four years before they split up. They did not have any kids. The polo-playing chairman of Sona Comstar, a big name in the automobile sector, then married Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor. The couple had a daughter, Samaira, born on March 11, 2005, and a son, Kiaan, born on March 12, 2011, before they too, divorced in 2016. He then married Priya Sachdev, a year later. She was earlier married to American-based celebrity Vikram Chatwal. Two years ago, a photo that has gone viral, shows Karisma Kapoor, Sunjay, his mother Rani and Priya posing together to celebrate Samaira’s birthday. Now, the dramatis persona involved in the legal battle that is in the Delhi High Court are, a once-happy family, now deeply divided.

In the High Court, the dispute hinges over the authenticity of the will that Priya produced shortly after her husband’s death. Karisma’s children are claiming that their late father had “repeatedly assured” them of their share, which was eventually absent in his final will. They have accused their stepmother, Sunjay’s third wife, Priya, of altering the will. The suit was filed after Priya, at a July 30 family meeting, presented a will allegedly executed on March 21. Karisma Kapoor, though not a plaintiff, is acting as legal guardian for her children.

The key players involved are:

• Priya Sachdev Kapur: was appointed to the company’s board and took over the position once held by her late husband. They have a son, Azarias.
• Rani Kapur: Sunjay’s mother, the widow of the late Surinder Kapur and founder of Sona Group. She called out Priya’s control of Aureus Investment and her appointment to the company’s board. On July 24, she wrote a letter opposing the appointment and expressing concerns about events after her son’s death. She has demanded Rs 10,000 crore as her share of the company started by her late husband.
• Karisma Kapoor: In 2014, Karisma and Sunjay filed for divorce, which was highly publicised. After a long legal battle, the two finalised their divorce in 2016.
• Samaira: Sunjay and Karisma’s daughter, Samaira, was born in 2005. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA.
• Kiaan: Sunjay and Karisma’s son was born in 2011. Both children live with Karisma .
• Safira Kapur: Sunjay adopted his stepdaughter, Safira Kapur, who is the daughter of his third wife Priya Sachdev and her first husband, Vikram Chatwal. The adoption was carried out under Indian law.
• Mandhira Kapur: Sunjay’s sister. The Court has removed her name from the suit following a plea filed by Priya’s lawyer, saying she was not a party to the will.

Samaira and Kiaan have filed a case against Priya for a share of the Rs 30,000 crore assets, including personal property and control of a trust that owns the promoter entity of Sona Comstar. Apart from Karisma’s two children, the late industrialist’s mother, Rani, has also filed a suit against Priya. The Court has ordered Priya to disclose all assets of her late husband. 

The feud erupted after Priya presented Sunjay’s alleged will. Soon after, Sunjay’s children, Samaira and Kiaan, along with his second wife, Karisma, filed a petition with the Delhi High Court against Sachdeva regarding inheritance rights. Although Karisma is involved in the matter, she is not directly mentioned in the will.

The timeline follows events after the unexpected death of Sunjay on June 12, 2025. Karisma and her children, Samaira and Kiaan, flew to England from June 14 to 17 to meet Priya. During that time, Priya claimed that Sunjay had left no will and that his assets were housed entirely under the RK Family Trust, which controls the promoters’ stake in Sona Comstar via Aureus Investments. The families, their advisers, along with Shradha Suri Marwah, managing director of Subros and executor of Sunjay’s estate, met at the Taj Mansingh Hotel in New Delhi on July 30 to review the trust and Sunjay’s assets. 

The petition states that it was at this meeting that Karisma and her children saw Sunjay’s will, dated March 21, for the first time. This will leave all of his personal estate to Priya, but Karisma and her children have questioned its authenticity. At the beginning of August, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs recorded beneficiary ownership forms for Priya and her son Azarias, but not for Karisma’s children, Samaira and Kiaan.

Karisma wrote to Marwah on Kiaan’s behalf on August 22, requesting a copy of the will and asking why it had not been revealed earlier. Furthermore, the petition alleges that Sunjay never discussed a will with his children, despite regularly being in contact with them. Sunjay took Kiaan on a trip to Goa in March this year and then to Delhi to visit his mother, Rani. However, the petition claims, he never hinted that he would be leaving his entire estate to Priya. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs records showed Samaira and Kiaan’s beneficiary ownership forms in early September.

Meanwhile, Rani alleged that she had not been informed of any documents regarding her late son’s will. She further alleged that her rights under the trust had been eroded after Priya’s marriage and raised concerns over the sale of Sona Comstar shares worth Rs 500 crore to a Singapore entity without her knowledge. She urged the High Court to maintain the status quo on the estate.

The Court refused to immediately pass an order for status quo on Sunjay’s properties, but Priya was asked to file a list of the assets held by her late husband. The petition, filed by Karisma’s two children, seeks to freeze all personal assets belonging to Sunjay until the issue is resolved. According to Forbes, Sunjay Kapur’s net worth at the time of his death was $1.2 billion. A major portion of income comes from Sona Comstar, which operates 12 manufacturing facilities and employs over 5,000 people across India, China, Mexico, Serbia and the US.

The Court directed on September 10 to disclose Sunjay’s assets and gave all parties two weeks to submit their responses, with the matter listed for October 9. The petition lists Priya, her son Azarius, Sunjay’s mother Rani and Shradha Suri Marwah, managing director of Subros and executor of the will, as defendants. Additionally, Dinesh Agarwal and Nitin Sharma, two directors of Aureus Investment, are named for allegedly colluding with Priya Kapur to transfer personal assets in her favour.

Last week, the Court heard the plea filed by Samaira and Kiaan, who are seeking their share in their late father’s property, alleging that Priya forged his will to cut them out of the inheritance. They claim their late father had “repeatedly assured” them of their share, which was not reflected in the final will. The children accuse Priya of producing an altered will dated March 21 at a family meeting after Sunjay’s death. Karisma is not a plaintiff in the case, but is representing her children. 

During the hearing, a fiery verbal exchange took place between the counsel representing Karisma’s children, and the senior advocate appearing on behalf of Priya. Those present in the Court said that Mahesh Jethmalani, the senior advocate representing Karisma’s children saying: “Don’t shout at me” after Rajiv Nayar, the senior advocate representing Priya snapped at him, saying “don’t interrupt me”. Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing the arguments in the case when tempers suddenly ran high between the advocates. “Please don’t interrupt me, I am not used to interruptions,” Rajiv said, at which Jethmalani fumed, saying: “You should get a taste of your own medicine then, and don’t shout at me… I’m not a pushover”.

The case took a new turn during the hearing when Rani also claimed assets worth Rs 10,000 crore, alleging she had not been informed of any documents regarding her late son’s will. “There is something incredibly unholy. Rs 10,000 crore worth of assets should have been mine”, said the advocate representing Rani Kapur.

On the other hand, Priya’s counsel alleged the lawsuit was not maintainable, alleging Samaira and Kiaan were given Rs 1,900 crore worth of assets just days before they sued her. The Court had asked Priya to furnish a list of all assets owned by Sunjay till the day he died. 

Meanwhile, Priya has moved swiftly to consolidate her position as Sunjay’s official heir in all his corporate roles. She was inducted into the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Executive Committee for 2025-26. Her updated professional bio now reflects this position, effective from September 12. Her participation comes as a significant moment as it marks her official entry into one of the industry’s top forums. Priya attended the ACMA meeting in the capacity of director of Aureus Investment (AIPL) and non-executive director and chairperson of the CSR committee at Sona Comstar. Sunjay also held the position of chairperson at ACMA.

The family battle closely follows the plot of the hit television series Succession, which explored themes of wealth, power, and dysfunctional family dynamics in a media empire setting. It was widely thought to be based on the legal battle involving media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his sons, which was resolved last week after a year of legal tussles after a multi-million-dollar settlement was reached with his favoured son getting control after the other siblings were bought out.

The Priya Sachdev Kapur versus Karisma Kapoor promises to provide plenty of legal fireworks when the case resumes on October 9. A high-profile case with two high-profile lawyers representing the contesting parties and Rs 30,000 at stake makes for a riveting courtroom drama, with two feisty women facing off against each other. Bollywood could not have come up with a better script. 

—The writer is former Senior Managing Editor, India Legal magazine

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