Sunjay Kapur's mom, wife agree as SC appoints ex-CJI Chandrachud to mediate dispute

Days after the Supreme Court designated former Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud as a mediator to assist in settling a highly scrutinised conflict concerning the Sona Group family trust and the estate of businessman Sunjay Kapur, who passed away in June last year, the latter’s mother Rani Kapur and widow Priya Kapur agreed to the arrangement.

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According to a report by Live Law, a panel of Justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan issued the order directing the parties to engage in mediation following their mutual agreement. It encouraged the parties to approach mediation without any mental baggage and urged them to avoid making public statements and/or posting on social media.

'Shouldn't be source of entertainment'

“It’s a family dispute, let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” said Justice Pardiwala.

The apex court’s order said, according to Live Law, “We make it clear that this mediation is confined only so far as the family members are concerned. We make one request to all parties before us that they may not make any statement in public and may not go on social media. This being a family affair, the endeavor on their part should be to get the disputes resolved at the earliest and put an end to the entire matter.

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“We firmly believe that all parties should participate in the mediation proceedings with an open mind. It will be in the interest of one and all if they are able to resolve the entire matter before the ld. Mediator. Otherwise, this is going to be a long drawn litigation.”

SC to wait for Chandrachud report

The bench also said that it would wait for a preliminary report from Justice Chandrachud before making further observations.

The matter involves the estate of Kapur, which is estimated to be worth nearly Rs 30,000 crore, alongside a purported will that allegedly leaves all of his personal assets to Priya Kapur. This will has been challenged by Kapur’s offspring, Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Raj Kapur, besides Rani Kapur, who have raised concerns regarding the document's authenticity and its legal standing.

Also read: Sunjay Kapur’s mother cries foul over death, says she was ‘made to’ sign docs

In a hearing last month, the apex court proposed mediation, noting that extended litigation at the age of 80 (Rani Kapur) would be inconsequential. The bench then advised the mediation route.

Rani Kapur has initiated legal proceedings in the Delhi High Court, asserting that she is the exclusive beneficiary and legatee of the estate belonging to her late husband, Dr Surinder Kapur, who was the promoter of the Sona Group of Companies. Surinder died in June 2015, leaving a Will dated February 6, 2013, which stipulates that his entire estate, encompassing shareholdings in several Sona Group companies, is to be devolved upon her.