Delhi HC declines request for confidentiality club; Priya Sachdev Kapur to submit asset details in sealed cover
Sunjay Kapur’s children Samaira and Kiaan, represented by Karisma Kapoor, allege will is “bogus” and accuse stepmother of siphoning funds.
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The Delhi High Court on September 27 made a significant intervention in the bitter inheritance battle over industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s ₹30,000-crore estate. Justice Jyoti Singh permitted his widow, Priya Sachdev Kapur, to file details of his movable and immovable assets in a sealed cover, but declined her request to form a “confidentiality club” to restrict access to the documents.
The decision followed intense arguments between Priya Kapur and Sunjay’s children from his first marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor - Samaira (20) and Kiaan (14) - who have challenged the validity of their father’s will. The siblings, represented by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, have called the will “patently bogus,” claiming it deprives them of their rightful inheritance while enabling Priya to transfer assets into her own name.
Justice Singh ruled that while the asset list may be shielded from the public domain, it must be shared with all parties, including Sunjay’s children and his mother, Rani Kapur. “The list of assets can be submitted in a sealed cover to both parties in the matter,” the judge observed, stressing that sensitive information should not leak into the media.
Earlier, Priya Kapur had sought a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) binding the children from speaking publicly, but the court found the proposal “problematic” and potentially unfair. She withdrew the demand and agreed to sealed cover submissions instead.
The children, meanwhile, insist they have never been shown the original will. Their counsel alleged that between August 22 and 26, key transactions occurred - including the wiping out of two bank accounts and the transfer of a 6% stake in Kapur’s holding company to Priya.
Rajiv Nayyar, appearing for Priya, countered that media trials were harming the case. “Every day, there is something in the media. Court should order that people should not go to the media. I am inviting a gag order on myself as well,” he argued, while maintaining that Priya was being transparent with the court.
Read more: Sunjay Kapur estate dispute: Delhi HC drops Mandhira Kapur's name in Karisma Kapoor kids' suit
The case, which pits Sunjay’s widow against his children from his first marriage, will next be heard on November 11. Sunjay Kapur, former chairman of Sona Comstar, died in June this year while playing polo in the UK.
