Entrepreneur Sunjay Kapur’s estate fight moved up a notch this week when his widowed wife Priya Sachdev Kapur and their minor son appeared before the Delhi High Court to say that the court did not have their territorial jurisdiction and thereby should not interfere with their overseas properties. The case, which is already accused of an alleged forged will and ownership of the assets that are dispersed in several countries, has now entered a more complicated jurisdictional stage.
Priya Kapur On Sunjay Kapur’s Foreign Estates
Sunjay, ex-chairman of auto components giant Sona Comstar, died in a polo match in London in June. After his passing, his children from his previous marriage to actor Karisma Kapoor moved the court to declare the will presented by Priya as fake. Their suit alleges that the transfer of Sunjay’s assets, estimated to be around ₹30,000 crore to be the main point of the forged will.
As per a PTI report, Priya Kapur’s legal team maintained that the UK and US real estate are regulated by the law of those countries and not India, and thus no directive coming from the Delhi High Court can stop her or her son from claiming ownership or dealing with those assets. Her attorney urged that any case involving properties located in foreign countries should be handled by the courts of such jurisdictions.
Justice Jyoti Singh, who is hearing the matter, looked into the arguments presented for the interim injunction by Karisma Kapoor’s children, who want to see Priya being enjoined from changing the status of Sunjay’s holdings until the will’s authenticity is verified. The court remanded the case for further hearing on December 22 after receiving the written submissions from both parties.
Akhil Sibal, representing Priya’s son, pointed out that no plan is in the works by Priya for the disposal of her late husband’s shares in Aureus Investments Pvt Ltd, which was given to her after his demise. Nevertheless, he maintained that the Delhi High Court should not issue orders with regard to the immovable assets that are outside India.
Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, who is the litigator for the children of Karisma, held that the court could impose restrictions on Priya if she used the alleged forged will to claim ownership of the foreign assets. He insisted that such preventive actions are required until the time the authenticity of the document is verified.
Legally represented by their mother, Samaira and Kiaan kids of Karisma, brought up the issue earlier this year while Sunjay’s mother and sister joined the bandwagon against their will. The family is accusing the will of having lots of discrepancies and, consequently, doubting its legitimacy.
More Details On Karisma Kapoor, Sunjay Kapur
Karisma and Sunjay tied the knot in 2003; they parted ways in 2016. He married Priya a year after their divorce.