New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed preservation of the assets of late Sunjay Kapur, ruling that all “suspicious circumstances” raised by the industrialist’s children from his marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor have to be completely removed by his third wife, Priya Kapur, before the acceptance of his purported last will.
Justice Jyoti Singh passed the interim order on an application filed by Karisma Kapoor’s children to restrain Priya Kapur from alienating their father’s assets, reportedly worth Rs 30,000 crore.
The interim application was filed in a suit by the children, challenging their late father’s purported will of his assets.
“Having heard and on examination of the material on record, I have the considered view that all legitimate suspicious circumstances raised by the plaintiffs will have to be completely removed by defendant number one (Priya Kapur) before the document is accepted as the last will,” the judge said while pronouncing the order.
“Plaintiffs have made out a prima-facie case that the assets which are subject matter need to be protected, preserved, pending disposal of the suit,” she added.
Justice Singh ordered that the equity shareholdings in the three Indian companies of the deceased cannot be changed. The judge also restrained the disposal of Sunjay Kapur’s personal effects, including artwork, which was agreed to by Priya Kapur.
The court said if the assets are not preserved and Priya Kapur ultimately fails to prove the validity and genuineness of the will and the estate is dissipated, the deceased’s children from his marriage with Karisma Kapoor — his second wife — and his mother Rani Kapur would be deprived of their legitimate shares.
“I have restrained from alienating, transferring, pledging, liquidating or in any other manner changing the equity shareholdings in the three Indian companies. I have restrained from withdrawing the PF amount, something that was consented to. I have restrained from withdrawing monies from the three accounts in the two Indian banks except to the extent of discharging liabilities towards the children and the decree of divorce between the deceased and the mother of the children,” the judge said.
The court further said it has restrained the operation of the foreign bank accounts or dealing with the cryptocurrencies.
The court clarified that it has not passed the order with respect to immovable foreign assets.
During the pronouncement, Justice Singh mentioned that the “suspicious circumstances” set up by the plaintiffs included circumstances at the pre-execution and execution stages of the alleged will and the chain of custody of the original will.
The judge said the onus to remove such suspicion rested on Priya Kapur and would be a matter of trial.
“The question that arises for consideration is whether the estate of the deceased requires to be preserved during the pendency of the suit. In my considered opinion, the answer to the question is in the affirmative,” the court stated.
“Genuineness of the will propounded by defendant number one is now a matter of trial in light of the suspicious circumstances set forth. Trial will take time and in the meantime, assets should not be dissipated. It is therefore imperative that the assets of the deceased are preserved, pending disposal of the suit,” the court said.
Sunjay Kapur died on June 12, 2025, after collapsing during a polo match in England. He had reportedly suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. PTI ADS RC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.