‘Mistakes’ in Names, Address: Karisma Kapoor’s Children Question Late Father’s Will in Delhi HC

Children of Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor, Samaira and Kiaan, on Monday questioned the purported will of their late father, industrialist Sunjay Kapur, before the Delhi High Court.

Appearing for the siblings, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani submitted that the will contained several errors, including the misspelling of Kiaan’s name and the incorrect address of Samaira. He argued that such mistakes were highly uncharacteristic of Sunjay Kapur, who, he said, shared a warm and affectionate bond with his children.

The submissions were made before a Bench presided over by Justice Jyoti Singh, which was hearing the plea filed by Karisma Kapoor’s children seeking their rightful share in their late father’s estate.

During the hearing, Justice Singh heard brief arguments advanced by Jethmalani and listed the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.

“It is apparent that Sunjay would certainly know that the bequest was intended for a particular individual. Sometimes, the language of the will itself offers a clue about who has drafted it and who stands to benefit from its provisions,” Jethmalani submitted.

He further contended that Clauses 6 and 7 of the will appeared meaningless, allegedly inserted as an eyewash to suggest that the document benefited all legal heirs, while it was in fact designed to favour one person alone.

“If this will is indeed forged,” Jethmalani added, “there can be only one person who could have done it, albeit with assistance.”

On October 10,  Karisma Kapoor’s children told the Delhi High Court that Priya Kapur’s conduct was “like that of Cinderella’s stepmother.” Their counsel alleged that Priya Kapur had received the bulk of the inheritance, about 60 per cent of the assets, 12 per cent to her son, and nearly 75 per cent of the family trust.

“Sunjay’s digital footprints are not there; instead, these belong to the conspirators, including Priya Kapur. It is a crime, a serious offence under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes life imprisonment for forgery of a will,” Jethmalani submitted. Questioning Priya Kapur’s role, he remarked, “If Priya Kapur was confident about the veracity of the will, then why did she want an NDA (non-disclosure agreement)? Look at her conduct.” He added that most ominously, the deceased, Sunjay Kapur, had nothing to do with his own will.

Terming the case “a criminal conspiracy by four people,” Jethmalani said, “Let’s come to when all of this may have started. There is a chain of events. I’m not surprised that the written statement hasn’t come. We deliver on time, we complied. That’s the difference between somebody searching for the truth and somebody who wants to suppress it.” Highlighting the mother’s position in the family trust, Jethmalani submitted, “Most importantly, the mother is the settlor. Is the son going to leave his mother penniless? What ungrateful son would do that, when she was the source of the entire wealth?”

He further claimed that Sunjay Kapur had no role in his own will. “In my pleadings, I have shown that between March 15 and 18, Sunjay was on holiday with his son Kian and returned only because his mother had fallen ill. Now, that very mother has been left penniless. This so-called will was modified on March 17, 2025, at 11:54 IST,” he said.

Earlier, on September 26, the High Court had permitted Priya Sachdev Kapur to submit a list of Sunjay Kapur’s movable and immovable assets in a sealed cover. Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing her application seeking permission to place the asset details confidentially, with an undertaking that neither party would disclose the information to the media.

On 10 September, the High Court issued notice on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor’s children, who are seeking a share in the Rs 30,000 crore estate of their father, the late Sunjay Kapur.The court had directed Defendant No. 1, Priya Kapur, Sunjay’s third wife, to disclose a complete list of all movable and immovable assets known to her

The civil suit filed through their legal guardian and mother, Karisma Kapoor, the children have accused their stepmother Priya Kapur, Sunjay’s third wife, of forging his will and attempting to seize complete control of the sprawling business empire.

Notably, Karisma Kapoor married Sunjay Kapur in 2003. The couple had two children: daughter Samaira, born in 2005, and son Kiaan, born in 2011. Their marriage ended after 13 years, with a mutual consent divorce in 2016, under which Karisma retained custody of the children. The children, represented through their mother, have sought partition of the estate, rendition of accounts, and a permanent injunction against the defendants.

According to the suit, the defendants include Priya Kapur, her minor son Azarius, Sunjay’s mother Rani Kapur, and the purported executor of the will, Shradha Suri Marwah. It alleges that the children were excluded from the estate.The suit adds that Priya initially denied the existence of any will and claimed that all assets were held in the R.K. Family Trust. Later, however, she produced a will dated March 21, 2025, which allegedly bequeaths Sunjay Kapur’s entire personal estate to her.

The said will is now the centre of the controversy. The children contend that Priya, along with associates Dinesh Agarwal and Nitin Sharma, deliberately suppressed the will for over seven weeks before revealing it at a family meeting on July 30, 2025. Calling the will “forged and fabricated”, the suit highlights several suspicious circumstances: the original has not been shown to them, nor has any copy been provided. The children contend before the court that Priya is attempting to “usurp full control” of the estate to the exclusion of other legal heirs.

In their petition, the children have maintained that they shared a cordial relationship with their father and that he had assured them of their financial security. They claim that Sunjay had initiated ventures in their names, acquired assets for their benefit, and named them as beneficiaries. The children have therefore asked the court to declare them Class I heirs and to award each a one-fifth share in the estate.As interim relief, they have sought freezing of all personal assets belonging to Sunjay Kapur until the matter is resolved.

Sunjay Kapur died suddenly on June 12, 2025, after collapsing during a polo match in England. While reports initially suggested he suffered an anaphylactic shock after swallowing a bee, the coroner ruled his death a natural one arising from underlying heart disease.

As far as Karisma Kapoor is concerned, reports have revealed that she has no claim in the will.

However, the death of business tycoon and Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay Kapur has triggered a spiralling inheritance battle over his estimated Rs 30,000 crore estate

Case Title: Ms. Samaira Kapur & Anr. v. Mrs. Priya Kapur & Ors.

Hearing Date: 13 October 2025

Bench: Justice Jyoti Singh