Former CJI DY Chandrachud to mediate Sunjay Kapur estate case between Rani, Priya Kapur

The top court advised family members not to make the dispute over Sunjay Kapur’s estate “a source of entertainment for others”.

The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud as mediator to facilitate a settlement in the high-stakes inheritance dispute within the family of late businessman Sunjay Kapur, after warring factions agreed to attempt a negotiated resolution before the top court.

Late Sunjay Kapur (L) with wife Priya Sachdev Kapur (second left), mother Rani Kapur (second right), and his kids. (File Image)

The court advised Kapur’s family members not to make the dispute over Kapur’s estate “a source of entertainment for others”, observing parties should not make it “more murky.”

A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan proposed the name of justice Chandrachud after the senior counsel appearing for the parties conveyed their willingness to sit across the table and explore mediation.

“The only thing required is a positive frame of mind…and an approach that ‘we want to resolve’…” said the bench, directing the parties not to make public statements or post about the family dispute on social media.

The court further observed that parties should participate with an open mind and a positive spirit to avoid prolonged litigation.

It will await a preliminary mediation report, with the matter being listed for early August next.

The development comes just days after the Supreme Court nudged the parties to avoid a prolonged courtroom battle over the sprawling Sona Group-linked estate and instead resolve their differences amicably.

The dispute centres around competing claims over control of family assets and interests linked to the Sona Group following the death of Sunjay Kapur, former chairperson of Sona Comstar, who died of cardiac arrest while playing polo in London on June 12, 2025.

The proceedings before the apex court arise from a plea filed by Sunjay Kapur’s mother, octogenarian Rani Kapur, seeking protection of the family estate and restraint against alleged interference with assets linked to the group. She has challenged the creation and functioning of the Rani Kapur Family Trust, alleging that the trust structure divested her of control over substantial assets without her informed consent.

The respondents in the case include Sunjay Kapur’s widow Priya Sachdev Kapur, his sister Mandira Kapur Smith and other family members, including children from his earlier marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor.

During the earlier hearing on April 27, the bench had repeatedly emphasised that inheritance disputes involving large family estates and multiple stakeholders are better resolved through dialogue than adversarial litigation. “Why are you all fighting? This is not the age for your client to fight…go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z,” the court had observed while urging the parties to consider settlement.

The court had also made it clear that while it was prepared to adjudicate the matter on merits if necessary, it would first attempt to persuade the parties to settle the dispute peacefully and equitably.

Rani Kapur’s plea traces the origins of the dispute to 2017, when she allegedly suffered a stroke. According to her petition, certain assets and interests were subsequently transferred into the family trust under circumstances she claims were neither fully explained nor properly authorised. The plea alleges that documents, including some purportedly blank papers, were obtained from her under the guise of administrative formalities.

The dispute intensified after Sunjay Kapur’s death, with allegations that control over key entities and family assets shifted rapidly within the group structure.

With the appointment of justice Chandrachud as mediator, the court has now formally initiated an attempt to resolve the sensitive family dispute outside adversarial proceedings, while keeping the matter pending before it in case mediation efforts fail.