Delhi HC tells Sunjay Kapur's wife Priya and sister Mandhira to ‘exercise restraint in making statements on each other’

Earlier this month, Priya Kapur sued Mandira Kapur Smith and a podcaster for ₹20 crore alleging their interaction causes her loss of reputation.

The inheritance dispute surrounding late businessman Sunjay Kapur’s estate has taken a fresh turn. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court restrained late industrialist Sunjay Kapur's wife, Priya S Kapur and sister, Mandhira Kapur Smith, from making statements against each other. Priya, who is embroiled in a legal battle over Sunjay’s estate with his second wife, actor Karisma Kapoor, had claimed that Mandhira’s statements in a recent podcast caused her social humiliation.

Priya Sachdev Kapur had filed a civil defamation suit against Sunjay Kapur's sister Mandhira.

What did Delhi HC say?

As per the latest update from news agency PTI, Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the order on a lawsuit by Priya Kapur against her sister-in-law, Madhira Kapur Smith, alleging a continuous, malicious, and defamatory campaign by her sister-in-law through podcasts, interviews, social media posts, and public statements. "Both parties are directed to exercise restraint in making statements on each other, directly or indirectly," the judge said.

The court also issued a summons to Smith and podcast host Pooja Chaudhri on the lawsuit and listed the matter for hearing in May. The senior counsel appearing for Priya Kapur said her sister-in-law uploaded and shared content on social media to tarnish her reputation.

Smith's lawyer, on the other hand, said there was a "concerted media vilification campaign" against her. In her lawsuit, Priya Kapur said that within days of Sunjay Kapur's demise, his sister "embarked upon a systematic and organised course of conduct" to malign and socially discredit her. "The defamatory statements falsely impute dishonesty, moral impropriety, professional incompetence, concealment of assets and illegitimate assumption of corporate control to the plaintiff," the lawsuit submitted.

Sunjay was the chairman of Sona Comstar. He married Karisma in 2003. The couple became parents to their daughter, Samaira, in 2005 and their son, Kiaan, in 2011. In 2014, Karisma and Sunjay filed for divorce, and it was finalised in 2016. After the separation, Sunjay married Priya Sachdev. The couple welcomed a son, Azarias, after they got married.

Legal battle over Sunjay's estate

A legal battle is going on over Sunjay's estate. In August last year, Priya presented a document to the Delhi High Court claiming it was his will. This was challenged by Samaira, Kiaan, and Rani. A few reports claimed that Sunjay's assets were worth ₹30,000 crore. However, Karisma's kids had said they weren't aware of the actual worth.

(With inputs from PTI)