The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, as a mediator in the family dispute between Rani Kapur, mother of the late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, and Priya Kapur, his wife, over the Sona Group family trust.
A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order after all parties agreed to mediation. The Court also requested that the dispute not be discussed publicly or shared on social media.
“It’s a family dispute; let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” the Court said.
The Court clarified that mediation would focus only on issues among family members and urged all parties to participate with an open mind.
“This being a family matter, the aim should be to resolve disputes as soon as possible,” the Court added. A preliminary report from the mediator will be awaited, and the case is scheduled to be listed again in August.
Allegations of Fraud
The dispute centers on the creation and control of the Rani Kapur Family Trust, which Rani Kapur claims is fraudulent. She alleges that the trust was used to deprive her of her estate, including control of Sona Group companies.
According to her, after suffering a stroke in 2017, she was exploited by her late son Sunjay Kapur and his wife Priya Kapur. She claims her assets were transferred to the trust without her informed consent and that she was made to sign documents, including blank papers, under the guise of administrative convenience.
The dispute escalated after Sunjay Kapur’s death in June last year. Rani Kapur alleges that Priya Kapur quickly assumed control over key Sona Group entities, leaving her with little of the family assets.
Parallel Legal Battles
Parallel proceedings over the estate are already ongoing in the Delhi High Court. On April 30, the High Court granted an interim injunction preventing Priya Kapur from creating any third-party rights over Sunjay Kapur’s assets, following a plea by Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor’s two children.
In the Supreme Court, Rani Kapur has sought a status quo on the alienation of all trust properties. The Court has previously urged the parties to explore mediation, noting that prolonged litigation involving an 80-year-old litigant would serve little purpose.
“Why are you all fighting? This is not the age for your client to fight…go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z. Otherwise, this is a waste,” the Court had remarked.
Rani Kapur was represented by Senior Advocates Shyam Divan and Vaibhav Gaggar, while Priya Kapur was represented by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi. Other respondents were represented by Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Madhavi Divan, Gopal Jain, and Navin Pahwa.