Karisma Kapoor’s children’s lawyer calls Priya Sachdev ‘Cinderella’s stepmother’ amid legal battle over Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000-crore estate: Bollywood News
Allegations of forgery and conspiracy have clouded the inheritance battle over late industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000-crore estate, as senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that the purported will produced by Kapur’s widow Priya Sachdev Kapur was a fabricated document, designed to exclude his two children – Samaira and Kiaan Kapur, and seize control of his vast fortune.
Karisma Kapoor’s children’s lawyer calls Priya Sachdev ‘Cinderella’s stepmother’ amid legal battle over Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000-crore estate
Appearing before Justice Jyoti Singh, Jethmalani representing Samaira and Kiaan Kapur, children from Sunjay’s previous marriage to actor Karisma Kapoor, alleged that Sunjay “had no role in his own will”. The lawyer said digital evidence and travel diaries proved the industrialist was on vacation with his son Kiaan between March 15 and 18, 2025, when the document was allegedly altered.
“The will was changed on March 17 at 11:54 am, when Sunjay Kapur was not even in the city. His digital footprints disappeared, replaced by those of the conspirators, including Priya Kapur,” Jethmalani told the court. “This is a serious offense under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes life imprisonment for forgery of will.”
At the center of the controversy is a will dated March 21, 2025, which would leave Sunjay Kapur’s entire personal assets to his third wife, Priya Sachdev Kapur. The children disputed its authenticity, calling it the result of a “criminal conspiracy” between Priya and three associates.
The “Cinderella’s Stepmother” Allegation
The metaphor quickly became the most quoted phrase of the day in the courtroom. Jethmalani alleged that Priya Kapur behaved like “an evil Cinderella mother” towards Samaira and Kiaan, seeking to sideline them and their grandmother Rani Kapur, while consolidating wealth and power within her own house.
He accused Priya of technical secrecy around the estate, including insisting that family members sign nondisclosure agreements before discussing assets. “If the will was authentic, why NDAs? Why this rush?” he asked.
Jethmalani also questioned the role of Shradha Suri Marwah, the appointed executor, saying “the person who was executing the assets was not the executor but Priya herself”. Two witnesses to the will, he said, were then given roles in companies linked to the estate – a “sinisterly convenient” model which he said exposed the forgery. Neither witness filed an affidavit validating the will, adding to doubts about its provenance.
Justice Singh, after opening the sealed cover containing the original document and a list of assets, observed that the list did not bear any signature and ordered Priya Kapur to re-file it with an affidavit. The court will continue hearing Jethmalani’s arguments on October 13 before the defense presents its arguments.
According to court filings, the will leaves Karisma Kapoor’s children with a residual stake of just 26% in the family trust, while Priya Kapur and her minor son Azarius control nearly three-quarters of the assets. “The rush was to get hold of everything before the children could act,” Jethmalani said in court. “She’s not a harmless stepmother; she’s Cinderella’s stepmother.”
Jethmalani further questioned the conduct of Shradha Suri Marwah, the appointed executor, saying “the person who was executing the assets was not the executor but Priya herself”. He told the court that the two witnesses to the will were then rewarded with positions in companies linked to the Kapur estate, an arrangement he described as “sinisterly convenient”. Neither witness, he said, filed an affidavit confirming the validity of the will, a silence that “makes the document even more suspect.”
A will without signature
Justice Singh on Thursday opened the sealed cover submitted by Priya Kapur containing the original will and a list of assets. The judge observed that the list did not bear any signatures, ordering Priya to resubmit a signed version along with an affidavit. The court will continue hearing Jethmalani’s arguments on October 13 before hearing the defense arguments.
Lawyer Rajiv Nayar, representing Priya Sachdev Kapur, categorically denied the allegations, saying the will was “executed and attested properly, much before Sunjay Kapur’s death”. He argued that the complaint filed by the children was “not tenable” and that the authenticity of the document was supported by contemporary evidence.
The dispute dates back to June 12, 2025, when Sunjay Kapur, chairman of the Sona Diversified Group and a familiar face on the Indian polo circuit, collapsed during a match in England and died soon after. In the weeks following her death, Priya initially claimed that all assets were held in the RK Family Trust and that no will existed. It was only at the end of July that she produced the March 21 document, which the children now describe as “false and fabricated”.
Jethmalani told the court the alleged forgery amounted to “a conspiracy by four individuals” to usurp full control of the estate while leaving Sunjay’s elderly mother, Rani Kapur, and her two children “effectively penniless”. “The mother is the founder of the trust,” he reminded the bench. “What ungrateful son would leave his mother without a rupee? It’s not Sunjay’s fault.”
Beyond the personal drama, the case has broader implications for Indian business families who increasingly rely on digitally executed wills and trust structures to manage intergenerational wealth. Questions about metadata, authentication and electronic signatures, all crucial in this case, could shape future jurisprudence on digital heritage documents.
For now, the High Court has ordered Priya Kapur to provide a verified list of her assets and has frozen any attempts to create third-party rights. The case will resume next week, but the high-society feud has already gripped legal and business circles, a cautionary tale of modern wealth, technology and trust fractured by suspicion.
As one lawyer observing the proceedings noted: “It’s not just about money. It’s a story about power, betrayal and the perils of digital legacy where the battle for legacy may outlast the man who built it.”
Meanwhile, Rahul R Shelke, civil advocate at the Bombay High Court and an expert in inheritance cases, said, “The contention that the will was amended while the testator was away with his son is legally significant. When such allegations are supported by an affidavit from the testator’s relatives and contextualized by evidence of marital discord, they give considerable weight to allegations of undue influence or forgery. Courts will generally take a cautious stance, prioritizing the protection of the interests of legitimate heirs until the conclusion of a full forensic examination.
Also read: Karisma Kapoor fights for her children’s rights in Sunjay Kapur’s Rs. 30,000 crore estate dispute
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