Interim Relief to Karisma’s Children in Estate Row

The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted interim relief to the two children of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur from his previous marriage to Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor, restraining his widow Priya Kapur from dissipating or creating third-party rights over key portions of his estate pending adjudication of a family inheritance dispute.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Jyoti Singh held that the estate of the deceased must be preserved during the pendency of the suit, observing that suspicious circumstances surrounding the purported will had been raised by the plaintiffs -- Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Kapur -- as well as Sunjay Kapur’s mother, Rani Kapur.

The Delhi High Court said that the onus to dispel those suspicions lies on Priya Kapur, while clarifying that the question of the will’s genuineness and validity would ultimately be determined during trial.

Holding that a prima facie case had been made out in favour of the plaintiffs, Justice Singh restrained Priya Kapur from alienating, transferring, pledging, or altering the equity and shareholding structure in Sunjay Kapur’s Indian companies.

The judge also barred her from withdrawing provident fund amounts, disposing of personal effects, artworks, or cryptocurrencies linked to the deceased’s estate.

Further, the Delhi High Court prohibited withdrawals from specified Indian bank accounts, except to the extent necessary for discharging liabilities towards the children arising from the divorce settlement between Sunjay Kapur and Karisma Kapoor.

It also ordered restrictions on the operation of certain foreign bank accounts and crypto holdings connected to the deceased, while clarifying that it lacked jurisdiction over immovable foreign assets and therefore issued no directions in respect of such properties.

The dispute arises from a suit filed by Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Kapur seeking a share in the personal estate of their late father, estimated to be worth around Rs 30,000 crore.

The siblings have challenged a March 21, 2025, will, which allegedly bequeaths the entirety of Sunjay Kapur’s personal estate to Priya Kapur, terming it forged and the product of a criminal conspiracy aimed at excluding them and their grandmother.

During earlier hearings, counsel for the children had alleged that the purported will was tampered with when Sunjay Kapur was on holiday with his son, and that a person allegedly involved in modifying the document was appointed as a company director a day after his death.

The children have sought one-fifth share each in the estate, claiming entitlement as Class-I legal heirs and asserting that they remained in regular contact with their father through meetings, holidays and electronic communication.

Sunjay Kapur, the former husband of Karisma Kapoor, died in June 2025 at the age of 53 after reportedly suffering a heart attack while playing polo in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in a connected defamation dispute, the Delhi High Court had directed Priya Kapur and Sunjay Kapur’s sister, Mandhira Kapur Smith, to refrain from making public statements against each other.

Justice Mini Pushkarna, while hearing Priya Kapur’s civil defamation suit seeking Rs 20 crore in damages, orally observed that both sides must conduct themselves with dignity and exercise restraint in making direct or indirect public remarks pending further proceedings.