₹30,000 Cr Kapur Estate Dispute: Supreme Court Pushes Mediation, Calls Case 'Long Drawn Litigation'

The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi issued notice on the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Rani Kapur, mother of late Sunjay Kapur, in her ongoing dispute with Priya Sachdeva Kapur over control and distribution of family assets reportedly worth nearly ₹30,000 crore.

During the hearing, the Bench orally remarked, “This will be a long drawn litigation, you are already 80. Attempt mediation.” The Court added that while notice has been issued, mediation should be attempted in the meantime. The Court also noted concerns regarding possible dissipation of assets, indicating that while mediation is being encouraged, it may still examine the matter on merits if circumstances require urgent judicial intervention.

Senior Advocates Shyam Divan and Vaibhav Gaggar along with AoR Smriti Churiwal appeared for Rani Kapur; Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan appeared for Mandhira Kapur Smith and Senior Advocate Navin Pahwa along with Advocate Ajay Bhargava appeared for the grandchildren.

The petition filed through AoR Smriti Churiwal arises from a continuing inheritance and trust dispute involving the Kapur family estate, where Rani Kapur has alleged large-scale diversion of assets through a contested trust structure and related corporate arrangements.

In a detailed SLP, the petitioner has assailed three Delhi High Court orders dated 29.01.2026, 10.02.2026, and 23.03.2026 passed in C.S. (OS) No. 69 of 2026, arguing that the court “merely issued notice” and repeatedly deferred urgent pleas seeking protection of her assets.

The petitioner contends that despite being an elderly widow, the High Court failed to pass interim protection orders, leaving the estate vulnerable. She alleges that this delay has allowed the opposite side to “prejudice and dissipate” the family assets.

At the heart of the dispute is a contested trust, the “RK Family Trust / Rani Kapur Family Trust”, which the petitioner claims was fraudulently created in 2017. She asserts that assets originally belonging to her late husband were transferred into the trust without her informed consent.

According to the petition, she was “divested of her entire legacy, estate, residence, and all assets” worth approximately ₹30,000 crore through what she terms a “fabricated and fraudulent trust structure.” She further claims she was shown as settlor and trustee on paper but excluded as a beneficiary. The plea also alleges that beneficiaries include close relatives of her late son and that she herself was entirely excluded, raising questions of “undue influence and manipulation.” A significant part of the petition focuses on alleged procedural delays by the High Court, which the petitioner says resulted in “failure to preserve the estate despite urgent applications under Order XXXIX Rules 1 and 2 CPC.”

The widow has also challenged the refusal to grant interim relief in an application filed on 07.02.2026, where she sought to restrain alleged dissipation of dividend proceeds amounting to around ₹28 crore. She argues that the High Court’s approach of repeatedly issuing notices and adjourning hearings has effectively left the estate unprotected during ongoing litigation.

Invoking provisions under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and Indian Trust Act, 1882, the petitioner has argued that the trust arrangement is unconscionable and should be presumed to have been executed under undue influence.

The petition also highlights concerns over timing, alleging rapid transfer of control and financial authority over group entities following the death of her son in June 2025. It has urged the apex court to intervene urgently, restore status quo, and protect the assets pending final adjudication of the civil suit before the Delhi High Court.

In a related new, recently the Court had sought the response of actor Karisma Kapoor on an application filed by Priya Kapur seeking certified copies of court records relating to divorce proceedings between Kapoor and her former husband, late industrialist Sunjay Kapur.