NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday suggested mediation in the dispute about the family trust of industrialist Sunjay Kapur involving his mother Rani Kapur and wife Priya Kapoor. The court observed that a prolonged inheritance battle involving an 80-year-old litigant would serve little purpose and may not be constructive.
“Why are you all fighting? You are 80. This is not the age for your client to fight. Go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z. Otherwise, this is a waste,” a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi told the lawyers of the warring Kapurs.
The SC was hearing a suit filed by Rani Kapur challenging the creation of the Rani Kapur Family Trust. She has alleged that the trust was set up through fraudulent means to deprive her of her estate, including the control of the Sona Group companies.
Rani Kapur has claimed in the petition that after she suffered a stroke in 2017, her late son Sunjay Kapur and his wife Priya Kapur took advantage of her condition and confidence and transferred her assets into the trust without her informed consent. She claimed that she was made to sign documents, including blank papers, under the guise of routine formalities. The tussle between Rani and Priya Kapur heightened following the sudden death of Sunjay Kapur in June 2025.
The bench, however, suggested a negotiated settlement. “It will be in the interest of all the parties concerned if they go for mediation and try to resolve the disputes peacefully and equitably... We shall, if necessary, hear the matter on merits. However, first, we should make an attempt to convince the parties to go for mediation,” the court said and fixed the matter for the next week.
‘Little purpose’
The dispute is about the family trust of industrialist Sunjay Kapur involving his mother Rani Kapur and wife Priya Kapoor. The SC said a prolonged battle involving an 80-year-old litigant would serve little purpose.