Sunjay Kapur's Rs 30000 inheritance case: Court questions template-based will; Priya Sachdev's lawyer says asset transfer to wife is a ‘healthy tradition’
The legal dispute over late businessman Sunjay Kapur’s estate took an intriguing turn on Thursday, as the Delhi High Court delved into the intricacies of his will. Representatives of his widow, Priya Sachdev (Priya Kapur), faced scrutiny over fresh allegations raised by Sunjay’s children from his marriage with Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor - Samaira Kapoor and Kiaan Kapoor. During the hearing, senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Priya, made an intriguing statement, asserting that it is a “healthy tradition” for a husband to leave his assets to his wife. He cited Sunjay’s father’s will as an example, where everything was given to his wife, and argued that this practice is a positive and customary tradition.
However, the court had its doubts. The proceedings focused on inconsistencies in the document presented as Sunjay Kapur’s will. The court noted spelling errors, pronoun inconsistencies, and omissions, and sought clarification on how these occurred. Nayar argued that these errors were carried over from a “template” based on a will belonging to Sunjay’s mother, Rani Kapur. But the court questioned why a template would include factual inaccuracies relating to Sunjay’s own family.
The court also pointed out that the will did not list an inventory of Sunjay’s assets and did not mention his two older children, Samaira and Kiaan. Only Priya and her children, Safira and Azarius, were named as beneficiaries. These omissions were raised by the petitioners and discussed during the hearing. Another issue highlighted was the misspelling of Sunjay and Priya’s son Azarius’s name in the document, which Nayar attributed to the alleged template of Rani Kapur’s will.
The court sought clarity on why such information would rely on an older document. The bench also noted procedural differences. While Rani Kapur’s will was notarised, the will presented for Sunjay was not notarised or registered. Nayar said the will had been drafted by Nitin Sharma, though the court observed that this detail was not mentioned in Priya’s written statement or in any affidavit submitted by Sharma.
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The defense acknowledged a lack of direct proof of Sunjay’s review of the final draft of the will. The court noted that Sunjay’s signature appears in a notary register for other documents, but the will in question was neither notarised nor registered. A WhatsApp screenshot submitted earlier was also discussed, with the bench observing that it did not amount to confirmation of the will’s contents.
The case continues, with further hearings expected as both sides continue to present their arguments regarding the authenticity and validity of the will.
