Supreme Court Appoints Ex-CJI DY Chandrachud As Mediator In ₹30,000 Crore Kapur Family Dispute
Supreme Court referred the ₹30,000 crore Kapur family dispute to mediation before former CJI Justice DY Chandrachud and directed all parties to refrain from making public statements or posting on social media regarding the matter
Supreme Court appoints former CJI DY Chandrachud as mediator in ₹30,000 crore Kapur family dispute involving Rani Kapur and Priya Sachdev Kapur
The Supreme Court on Thursday referred the ₹30,000 crore dispute between 80-year-old Rani Kapur and her daughter-in-law Priya Sachdev Kapur to mediation, while urging the family to refrain from making public statements or discussing the matter on social media.
The Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan appointed former Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud as the mediator to facilitate discussions between the parties.
The Court had earlier suggested mediation considering the advanced age of petitioner Rani Kapur and expressed hope that the dispute could be resolved amicably within the family.
During the hearing, the Bench made it clear that the mediation exercise would remain confined to the family members involved in the dispute. “We make it clear that this mediation is confined only so far as the family members are concerned,” the Court observed.
The Bench further directed all parties to maintain restraint in public discourse and avoid social media commentary on the ongoing dispute. “We make one request to all parties before us that they may not make any statements in public and not go on social media. This being a family affair, the endeavour should be to resolve the dispute and put an end to the matter. We firmly believe all parties should participate in the mediation with an open mind,” the Court said.
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.
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.
Case Title: Rani Kapur v. Priya Sachdev Kapur & Ors.
Bench: Justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan
Hearing Date: May 7, 2026