(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: In a new twist in the ongoing dispute over the will of the late Sunjay Kapur, who was Sona Comstar chairman, his children with former wife Karisma Kapoor told the Delhi High Court (HC) on Thursday that the document governing Kapur's ₹30,000-crore estate was a“manifestly forged will”, alleging it was created in a criminal conspiracy involving his widow Priya Sachdev Kapur and others.

Kapur died on 12 June in the UK after collapsing during a polo match from a sudden heart attack, reportedly triggered when he swallowed a bee.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing Karisma Kapoor's children, presented the allegations before Justice Jyoti Singh, arguing that Sunjay Kapur had no role in drafting or modifying the will. The document, a typed Microsoft Word file, was allegedly altered on 17 March 2025, while Sunjay was on a holiday.

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Jethmalani said the file contains no digital footprint of Sunjay, but shows activity from other individuals allegedly involved, including Priya Kapur. He added that no lawyer was consulted, and the appointed executor was not informed.

Describing the situation as a“widespread conspiracy,” Jethmalani warned that it could constitute a criminal offence under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes life imprisonment for forging a will.

The senior lawyer questioned the suspicious circumstances surrounding the execution of the will .“It is a natural course of conduct for a man who is so educated, accomplished, that when he is executing a will, he will certainly ask the executor who is going to collect the assets and distribute them as per the tenor of the will, 'I'm going to do this, do I have your permission?' But no such thing was done. This is an unnatural conduct and a suspicious circumstance,” Jethmalani said.

Jethmalani also questioned why Priya Kapur demanded a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to share a copy of the will.“If Priya Kapur was confident about the veracity of the will, then why did she want an NDA? Look at her conduct. Most ominously, the deceased, Sunjay Kapur, had nothing to do with his own will.”

The lawyer also described Priya Kapur as manipulative, likening her to an“evil stepmother.”

“This is a Cinderella stepmother,” he said, accusing Priya of acting to limit the inheritance of Karisma Kapoor's children.

Jethmalani also questioned the role of Shradha Suri Marwah, the named executor, claiming that“the person executing the assets was not the executor but Priya herself.” Two witnesses to the will, he said, were later given roles in companies tied to the estate, an“ominously convenient” pattern that exposed the forgery, he argued. Neither of the witnesses had filed an affidavit validating the will, adding to the doubts over its provenance.

Also Read | Court papers, Sebi letters lay bare Kapur siblings' long fight over Sona Comstar

Justice Singh, after opening the sealed cover that contained the original document and an asset list, observed that the list bore no signature, and directed Priya Kapur to refile it with an affidavit.

The matter will now be heard on 13 October.

In the previous hearing, the Delhi HC allowed Priya Kapur to submit details of Sunjay Kapur's assets in a sealed cover. Following a court directive on 10 September, all parties were asked to disclose the late chairman's assets.

The dispute

The dispute revolves around Sunjay Kapur's ₹30,000-crore estate, contested between his children-Samaira and Kiaan-and his widow Priya Kapur . Samaira and Kiaan have sought a one-fifth share of each of their father's personal assets, claiming they were not provided a copy of the will despite repeated requests. The will reportedly leaves the entire estate to Priya Kapur.

The will is said to have emerged during a meeting at Delhi's Taj Mansingh Hotel on 30 July. The meeting attended by Priya Kapur, her legal advisers, Marwah and executives of Aureus Investment Pvt. Ltd, the promoter entity of Sona Comstar. Its official registration status remains unclear.

Also Read | Sona Comstar not informed who controls family trust after Sunjay Kapur, CEO says

The original petition named Priya Kapur; her son with Sunjay, Azarius Kapur; Sunjay's mother Rani Kapur and Marwah as defendants, along with Dinesh Agarwal and Nitin Sharma, directors of Aureus Investment, alleging collusion to transfer personal assets in Priya Kapur's favour.

Although Sunjay Kapur's mother had been named as a defendant in the original petition filed by his children with Karisma Kapoor, during the hearing on 10 September, she joined her grandchildren and argued that she had been entirely excluded from the estate, seeking a status quo on his assets. She has not yet filed a separate legal response in the matter.

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