Sunjay Kapur's Rs 30,000 Crore Will Dispute: Legal Battle Between Third Wife and Children Intensifies in Delhi High Court

Sunjay Kapur and his family (File).

A high-stakes legal battle has unfolded in the Delhi High Court over the Rs 30,000 crore fortune of late businessman Sunjay Kapur, with arguments centering on seemingly minor details that could determine the validity of his contested will.

The children of actor Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur have challenged the will that bequeaths his vast estate to his third wife, Priya Sachdev Kapur. Samaira and Kiaan Kapur have pointed to several discrepancies in the document, including a misspelled name, incorrect address, and an erroneous pronoun usage.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing Karisma's children, argued these errors suggest the will was forged, as such mistakes would have been corrected had Sunjay Kapur personally reviewed the document.

On Wednesday, Priya Kapur's legal team countered these claims. Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar dismissed the notion that spelling errors indicated forgery, asserting that a professionally forged document would not contain such obvious mistakes. He emphasized that no one had disputed the actual signature on the will.

"Priya Kapur is not a housewife. She is a banker. If she forged the will, would there be such mistakes? Saying 'wrong spelling', 'wrong address', 'pronoun is 'she''... can this be grounds to challenge a will?" Nayar questioned before the court, adding, "This complaint is bereft of any cause of action."

Nayar cited legal precedents establishing that spelling mistakes in wills are legally irrelevant. He explained that valid grounds to challenge a will typically involve questions about the deceased's mental capacity, evidence of coercion, or inability to execute the document.

Sunjay Kapur with Priya and their son, Azarias, whose name was misspelt in the will (File).

Addressing claims that Sunjay Kapur would not have disinherited his children, Nayar stated firmly, "All they keep saying is, 'Sunjay would not have done it' ... 'he was on a holiday' ... 'he could not disinherit his children'. But I will show you why he disinherited Karisma's kids."

He elaborated that Sunjay had already made sufficient provisions for his children through a trust arrangement. "When they accepted shares from the trust, they did not shed a tear for Rani Kapur," Nayar pointed out, referring to Sunjay's mother, who has also contested Priya's claims to the fortune.

Actor Karisma Kapoor and businessman Sunjay Kapur (File).

The courtroom drama intensified when Nayar characterized the dispute as a "wife vs wife" conflict, suggesting that "obviously, the present wife will be given preference." Justice Jyoti Singh promptly redirected the discussion, clarifying, "Ex-wife is not seeking anything... It is the children. Let's just stick to this case."

When Nayar attempted to question the relationship between Sunjay and Karisma, suggesting that their failed marriage was evidence of underlying issues, the court again steered him back to the relevant legal matters.

This latest hearing follows previous dramatic courtroom exchanges, including one where Priya Kapur was compared to Cinderella's stepmother, with Jethmalani accusing her of greed.

Sunjay Kapur died in June while playing polo in the United Kingdom. Following weeks of speculation that included rumors of foul play, British medical authorities confirmed in August that he died of natural causes, specifically citing left ventricular hypertrophy and ischemic heart disease.