Delhi High Court Orders Probe Into Suspected Will of Late Industrialist Sunjay Kapur

The Delhi High Court on Thursday held that alleged "legitimate suspicions" surrounding the Will of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur must be dispelled before it can be accepted as his last testament, observing that the issue will be determined at trial. Justice Jyoti Singh, while passing an interim order, said that Priya Kapur, as the propounder of the Will, would have to remove all legitimate doubts raised by the challengers—Kapur’s children from his earlier marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor—before the document can be upheld as valid.

The dispute stems from a civil suit filed by Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Raj Kapur, who have challenged the authenticity of an alleged Will that purportedly leaves Kapur’s entire personal estate—estimated at around Rs 30,000 crore—to Priya Kapur.

Addressing the interim relief sought, the Court framed the central question as whether the estate of the deceased ought to be preserved independently during the pendency of the suit. In its order, the High Court directed a series of protective measures to safeguard the estate: Priya Kapur has been restrained from alienating, transferring, pledging or altering the equity/shareholding of Indian companies linked to the estate. The Court also restrained her from withdrawing provident fund amounts, noting that this was based on consent. She has further been barred from dealing with personal effects, including artworks, which was also a consented position. The Court has stayed the operation of foreign bank accounts and cryptocurrency holdings of the deceased.

“I have restrained her from withdrawing the provident fund amount… I have also restrained [her] from alienating personal effects, artwork etc,” Justice Singh observed. However, the Court clarified that these directions do not extend to immovable properties held abroad by Sunjay Kapur.

The injunction application by Samaira and Kiaan had sought a broader restraint on Priya Kapur and others from selling, alienating or creating third-party interests in the estate pending disposal of their partition suit. The Court had reserved its order on December 24, 2025, after recording that all parties had completed their written submissions.

Appearing for the children, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani argued that the Will was riddled with inconsistencies and suspicious circumstances. He pointed to anomalies such as the use of feminine pronouns for the testator, the omission of Kapur’s mother, lack of registration, and doubts over the document’s origin—suggesting it may have been prepared on a third party’s device. He further stressed that Priya Kapur being both the propounder and sole beneficiary warranted heightened judicial scrutiny.

Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Priya Kapur, denied allegations of concealment and diversion of assets, stating that a comprehensive asset list had been filed with supporting records. He rejected claims regarding undisclosed valuables, including a Rolex watch, calling them baseless and sourced from a fake social media account. Nayar also defended the Will’s format, arguing that it was consistent with a Will executed by Kapur’s mother, Rani Kapur, in 2024. He further cited correspondence indicating that certain post-death corporate steps were initiated based on an email sent from her account—an email she later disowned.

Rani Kapur has independently contested the Will, through Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, arguing that she was never informed of its existence and was not acknowledged in it. She alleged that Priya Kapur moved swiftly after Sunjay Kapur’s death to consolidate control over assets and that disclosures before the Court were incomplete, omitting valuable items such as artworks, watches, bank accounts, insurance policies and other investments. She also questioned the plausibility of the estate being left entirely to Priya Kapur, citing Kapur’s close ties with his children and extended family, and raised concerns over discrepancies in the declared asset value.

With the High Court making it clear that the Will’s validity hinges on resolving the suspicions raised, the matter will now proceed to trial, where evidence will be examined in detail. The outcome will determine the final distribution of one of the most high-profile inheritance disputes currently before the courts.