Priya Kapur Tells Delhi HC Karisma Kapoor’s Daughter’s School Fees Are Fully Paid in Sunjay Kapur Estate Case

Priya Kapur, the third wife of late businessman Sunjay Kapur, informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that the school fees of Karisma Kapoor’s children had already been paid in full for the current semester.

The clarification came during the ongoing proceedings in the dispute over Sunjay Kapur’s estate.

Senior Advocate Shyel Trehan, appearing for Priya Kapur, made the submission before Justice Jyoti Singh in response to an argument made by counsel representing Karisma Kapoor and her children, who had claimed that two months’ fees remained unpaid.

Trehan told the Court that the allegation was factually incorrect and placed on record that the winter semester fees had been fully cleared in July, well before litigation escalated. She added that Priya Kapur had been independently bearing all educational and living expenses of the children since Sunjay Kapur’s death, and that no document had ever been filed by the plaintiffs to suggest otherwise.

Trehan had produced a payment receipt of approximately ₹95 lakh for the current semester and noted that the next installment is due only in December.

Following this clarification, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Karisma Kapoor’s children, argued that any payments made toward the children’s fees or living expenses did not prove voluntary financial responsibility instead stemmed from binding Supreme Court directions issued in earlier matrimonial proceedings, and therefore could not be presented as goodwill or independent support.

Jethmalani described Sunjay as a “digital ghost” in relation to the execution process, submitting that there was no email, message, electronic instruction or confirmation demonstrating Sunjay’s involvement in drafting or approving the document.

He questioned why a technologically adept businessman would leave no digital trail relating to such an important decision. Jethmalani further argued that WhatsApp chats submitted as evidence were incomplete and lacked proper Section 65B certification under the Indian Evidence Act.

Trehan responded sharply, telling the Court that all necessary certifications had already been filed. She accused the opposing side of “ignoring documents deliberately to manufacture suspicion.”

The Court will continue hearing arguments next Tuesday.

On December 1, Rani Kapur, mother of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, told the Court that Priya Kapur attempted to take control of his assets rather than mourn his death.

Earlier, Priya Kapur's son had opposed actor Karisma Kapoor’s children, challenging the authenticity of their father’s alleged will, arguing that the challenge was built on “speculation and guesswork.”

On 20 November, Priya Kapur told the High Court that it was a healthy tradition for a husband to bequeath all his assets to his wife, disputing the contention of Karisma Kapoor’s children that their father’s alleged will had surfaced in suspicious circumstances.

The High Court had earlier 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

Background

In a 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.

Bench: Justice Jyoti Singh

Hearing Date: 4 December 2025

Inputs: TOI