After Sunjay Kapur’s death, there is a legal dispute over his estate between his widowed wife Priya Kapur and mother Rani Kapur. According to the latest update on Monday, the Supreme Court of India has made reconciliation a clear priority in the dispute over the Sona Group family trust. The court said that a protracted court battle, especially involving an 80-year-old person, would achieve little. The topic is titled Rani Kapur vs Priya Sachdev Kapur.A Bench headed by Justices JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi expressed concern over the protracted nature of the dispute and asked the parties to consider an out-of-court settlement. According to the Bar and Bench, while talking to the lawyers, the Bank said, “Why are you all fighting? This is not the age for your clients to fight…go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z.” Otherwise, this is waste.”Reiterating the point, the Court added, “You are 80 years old. This is not an age for your client to fight,” emphasizing that lengthy litigation serves little practical purpose in such circumstances. At the heart of the dispute is a lawsuit filed by Rani Kapur, which has challenged the validity of the Rani Kapur Family Trust. He has alleged that the trusteeship was formed in a fraudulent manner to remove his entire estate, including control over the companies of the Sona Group.His petition says that after he suffered a stroke in 2017, his son Sunjay Kapur and his wife Priya allegedly took advantage of his vulnerable state. He is said to have taken the assets to the trust without his full understanding or consent and forced him to sign documents, some allegedly blank, under the pretext of routine formalities. The situation escalated after Sunjay Kapur’s death in June last year. Rani Kapur has alleged that Priya Kapur moved quickly to take control of key Sona Group entities, resulting in a significant portion of the family’s wealth being consolidated with Priya and her children, leaving Rani Kapur with nothing.The matter is not limited to the Supreme Court alone. Proceedings regarding the estate and its control are already pending before the Delhi High Court. In the Supreme Court, the current petition requests an order to maintain the status of transfer or alienation of all assets linked to the trust.In Rani Kapur’s appearance, senior advocate Shyam Divan argued that in disputes involving “broad assets and major disputes”, courts generally go in with protective orders at the outset. Senior advocate Madhavi Divan, representing her daughter, echoed the concerns, stating that they were left with “nothing”.Senior advocate Naveen Pahwa, appearing on behalf of some of the grandchildren, supported the petition, stating that they had been effectively sidelined. Elaborating on the need for practical resolution, the Bench stated: “It will be in the best interest of all interested parties to go to mediation and try to settle disputes peacefully and fairly… If necessary, we will look into the matter on the merits; however, we should first try to persuade the parties to mediate.“The case is expected to be listed again next week. Senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar also appeared for Rani Kapoor.
