Sunjay Kapur's Sister Challenges Will: "Father's Bloodline Gets Nothing While Family Legacy Becomes a Mockery"

Mandhira Kapur has stated that her father Surinder Kapur's bloodline is receiving nothing from his legacy.

New Delhi:

Mandhira Kapur Smith, daughter of Surinder Kapur and sister of the late Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay Kapur, has expressed that her father's bloodline is being denied access to his created wealth and the family's reputation is being tarnished.

In an interview with NDTV's Gargi Rawat following the Delhi High Court's decision to allow Sunjay Kapur's third wife Priya Kapur to submit details of his alleged Rs 30,000-crore assets in a sealed cover, Mandhira revealed that she and her mother Rani maintain daily communication with Karisma Kapoor, Sunjay's second wife.

Without directly naming Priya Kapur, Mandhira dismissed as "rubbish" the suggestion that her brother loved his third wife so deeply that he would exclude the rest of his family.

Karisma Kapoor and Rani Kapur are currently engaged in legal proceedings against Priya Kapur regarding a will that allegedly bequeaths Sunjay Kapur's entire estate to Priya while excluding his children from previous marriages and his mother. Sunjay Kapur, who became managing director of Sona BLW Precision Forgings Limited in 2015 following his father's death and later assumed the chairmanship of Sona Comstar in 2019, passed away in June during a polo match in England.

Regarding the court's decision allowing Priya Kapur to submit asset details in a sealed cover, Mandhira clarified that her concern was not with this arrangement but with Priya's insistence on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for anyone accessing the information.

Responding to Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani's statement that "confidentiality is a cloak under which you fritter away the assets," Mandhira expressed surprise at the NDA requirement, calling it "a bit absurd."

"This is actually my mother's estate. So you're telling us that we can't figure out what is going on and we have to sign NDAs, which is a bit absurd for us. The bottom line is that this family, the bloodline of this family has got nothing from what my father created in his entire lifetime. It has gone to people who have just entered the family, which is a bit absurd in any family. This is such a big family with a legacy, which my father and mother worked for together," she emphasized.

"Our children are not seeing a penny. My mother's not seeing a penny. We are not seeing a penny. And it's all going out. So we didn't want the NDA. We want the truth. And, from day one, this is what I have said - all we are asking for is the information. Why is everything so quiet? Why is it such a secret? And now, again, in court, we were asked to sign NDAs. My mother's almost 80. You think she's going to sign an NDA at this age for her own estate? I mean, it's just ridiculous," she lamented.

Maintaining that the estate belongs to her mother, Mandhira stated that Priya Kapur's claims regarding shares being placed in a trust can only be verified once the family examines the documents.

"Show us what my mother has signed. But everything is now under an NDA. Everything's confidential from the person it belongs to. So it's becoming more of a circus. I feel bad that this is what my brother's memory is coming down to. It's all this rubbish. My family is being made a mockery out of by this entire thing. Our family is known in the automotive industry for what my father created. Today, we're a mockery. Today, all we're being talked about for is this damn case. What about what my father built? Sona is becoming a mockery," she said.

Addressing allegations that the will is fraudulent and that Samaira and Kiaan are being denied their inheritance, Mandhira insisted it was inconceivable that her brother would leave them nothing.

"If you come from a family where the father is fully involved in the children's life and they have been left nothing, would anyone not say it is bogus? It's absolute rubbish. These are kids he doted over. There's proof of them discussing a Portugal golden visa for inheritance. So, is my brother stupid to do all this? It's a joke. You're telling me there was no love for his kids, that he wouldn't leave them anything. This is unheard of," she emphasized.

When asked about her and her mother's relationship with Karisma Kapoor, Mandhira confirmed they speak daily.

"We are all talking every day. Everything that's going on is a blow to us... Karisma Kapoor is fighting for the rights of her children as she should be... My mother has been on holidays with them and the kids. Right now, sadly, all the relationships are based on securing the kids, securing this family and securing my mother. It is sad that the only conversation we all have now is: 'What the hell happened? How do we secure this family?' My mother has six grandchildren and she needs to look after all six," she stated.

"Even now, Samaira and Kiaan have been basically cut off. I'm going to go back to this. There is no one from the bloodline, except for probably (Sunjay and Priya Kapur's son) Azarias, who is getting anything of what my father created. And, please remember, Azarias came after my father. My father was very close to his six grandchildren. It's just sad what we as a family are being put through; this rubbish of someone coming in and taking everything. She didn't even know my father, she's never met my father," she added.

Without directly naming her, Mandhira remarked about Priya Kapur, "So, how is she claiming that her husband loved her so much to cut off the rest of the family? What rubbish? I mean, fine, we didn't talk for four years, but it was not his to give to anyone. It's my mother's."