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Spelling errors become sticking point in fight over Sunjay Kapur's fortune
Priya Kapur's counsel argued that such minor errors could not invalidate a will and that the only relevant question was whether the deceased was of sound mind.
Priya Sachdev Kapur, wife of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, told the Delhi high court on Wednesday that her husband's will is genuine and it cannot be challenged on the ground of use of incorrect spellings.
The Delhi high court was hearing a detailed submission from Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, who is representing Priya Kapur in the civil suit filed by actress Karisma Kapoor's children seeking a share in their father's personal assets.
Nayar, while arguing before Justice Jyoti Singh, said that grounds like wrong spelling, wrong address, writing testatrix instead of testator or closeness of witnesses cannot be a basis to challenge the will.
"I am told that there are four additional grounds to invalidate a will -- wrong spelling, wrong address, writing testatrix instead of testator, and the closeness of witnesses. In my 45 years of experience, I have never seen a Will invalidated for spelling errors. Forgery has to be complete no mistakes would be left. And this lady (Priya Kapur) is not a housewife; she is an investment banker. Would she spell her son's name wrong?" Nayar said while referring to the alleged discrepancies cited by the plaintiffs, according to ANI news agency.
He argued that such minor errors could not invalidate a validly executed will and that the only relevant questions were whether the deceased was of sound mind and whether the will was executed in the presence of witnesses.
"A will is not judged by whose custody it remained in or when it surfaced, but by whether it bears genuine signatures and proper attestation," he added.
Karisma Kapoor's children, Samaira, 20, and Kiaan Kapur, 15, have filed the suit against Priya Kapur, her son, as well as the deceased's mother Rani Kapur and Shradha Suri Marwah- purported executor of a Will dated March 21, 2025.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Kapoor's children, questioned the authenticity of the purported will before the Delhi HC, claiming that it was riddled with "bloopers" and the mistakes were "uncharacteristic" of their father.
Last week, the counsel for Karisma Kapoor's children said that they were informed about the will until July 30, even though it had reportedly been executed on March 21.
The inheritance battle began after Sona Comstar chairperson Sunjay Kapur's death in London in June 2025. His mother, Rani Kapur, had in July cited a 2015 will and claimed to be the sole beneficiary of the estate of her late husband company founder Surinder Kapur.
