Sunjay Kapoor property dispute case: The Supreme Court urged Rani Kapur and Priya Sachdev Kapur to settle the issues through mediation after telling Sunjay Kapoor’s mother that her age is not the age for a legal battle. The court also issued notices to Priya Sachdev and 22 others, seeking their responses while hearing the plea filed by Rani.
A bench of JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi observed during the hearing that lengthy litigation in such family disputes may not be beneficial.
The Supreme Court observed: “Why are you all fighting? You are 80. That is not an age at which your client can fight. Go to mediation once and for all, from A to Z. Otherwise it is a waste.”
Emphasizing the need for an amicable solution, the Bench said: “It will be in the interest of all parties concerned if they go to mediation and try to settle the disputes amicably and fairly… If necessary, we will hear the matter on its merits; but first we should try to persuade the parties to go for mediation.”
The case is due to be listed next week.
Rani Kapur’s counsel filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the other party to refrain from interfering with the property, assets and related matters. She also challenged the order passed by the Delhi High Court, claiming that the estate has not been preserved so far and raising concerns about possible dispersal of assets.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Rani Kapur, argued that courts usually issue protective orders at an early stage in disputes involving large properties. Senior advocate Naveen Pahwa, appearing for the affected grandchildren, supported the plea and said they were disqualified.
Dispute
The dispute began after Rani Kapur filed a lawsuit challenging the creation of the Rani Kapur Family Trust. In her lawsuit, she claimed the trust was structured in a way that stripped her of control over the estate, including interests in the Sona group.
She claimed that after a stroke in 2017, her late son and others acted in a way that led to the transfer of property without her informed consent.
The dispute intensified after Sanjay Kapoor’s death last year, when competing claims emerged for control of the family’s assets and business interests.
Rani Kapoor had previously spoken about the impact of the controversy on her personal life. Talking about Priya Sachdev, she said, “I am the head of the family and I am nobody to her.”
She described the situation as distressing, especially after the death of her son, and said that the property in question had been built by her husband for decades and entrusted to her. She also mentioned the family moving from Mumbai to Delhi during the earlier years to set up their business and home.
