The high-stakes succession battle over the estate of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur witnessed heated arguments in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday (December 3). The legal team for Defendant No. 1, Mrs. Priya Kapur, launched a comprehensive rebuttal against the allegations levelled by Sunjay’s mother, Mrs. Rani Kapur (Defendant No. 3), terming them as factually incorrect and based on “fabricated digital material.”
Countering claims of asset concealment, foreign fund transfers, and marital discord, senior counsel appearing for Priya Kapur presented documentary records, statutory filings, and digital evidence to dismantle the plaintiff’s narrative.
Clarification on “Rs 60 Crore Salary” and Asset Concealment
Addressing the allegation that Sunjay Kapur earned Rs 60 crore annually while Priya declared significantly lower bank balances—a disparity termed as “massive concealment” by the opposing side—the defence submitted a detailed breakdown of the income to the Court.
Priya Kapur’s counsel clarified the financial position for the Financial Year 2023–24:
- Actual Salary: Sunjay Kapur’s base salary was Rs 10 crore.
- One-time Bonus: The remaining amount cited was a one-time bonus of Rs 50 crore, not recurring remuneration.
- Net Receipt: After a Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) of Rs 23.5 crore, the net amount received in hand was Rs 36.5 crore.
- Utilization: It was submitted that Rs 28.5 crore of this amount was utilized to purchase two immovable assets in the United Kingdom during Sunjay’s lifetime.
The defence emphasized that these UK assets were clearly listed in the Will, collapsing the accusation of concealment. Furthermore, the counsel pointed out that Rani Kapur herself continues to receive a monthly salary of Rs 21.5 lakh from AIPL, and her personal expenses are being met exactly as they were during Sunjay’s lifetime.
“Compromised Emails” vs. WhatsApp Evidence
A significant portion of the hearing focused on the authenticity of communications sent from Rani Kapur’s email ID, which the defence argued were manipulated by third parties.
The Court was informed that on June 16, 2025—just three days after Sunjay’s death and while his body was still in the UK—an accusatory email was sent from Rani Kapur’s account to the trustees and staff, alleging forgery and misuse of documents.
However, the defence highlighted a stark contradiction using WhatsApp records. On June 21, when Priya confronted Rani about the email, Rani immediately disowned it via WhatsApp at 11:00 PM, writing:
“Priya, I am very sorry. I will be very careful. I love you, and I am with you always.”
The defence argued that this contradiction—hostile emails versus affectionate texts—strongly suggested that Rani’s email account was being accessed by someone else to create a false paper trail to seize control of the estate.
Allegations of Foreign Transfers and “Fake” Instagram Evidence
Rani Kapur’s counsel had previously alleged that funds were moved abroad post-Sunjay’s death. Priya’s legal team refuted this by placing a complete list of assets and liabilities on record, stating that “no transfers were made to any bank accounts abroad” after his demise. Regarding two specific bank accounts flagged as suspicious by the plaintiff, the defence demonstrated via account statements that both had held a “zero balance since inception.”
The defence also addressed the claim that Priya had concealed luxury assets, specifically high-value Rolex watches. The counsel submitted that this allegation relied entirely on images from a fake Instagram account named “sunjay.kapur,” whereas the authentic profile used by the late industrialist was “sunjaykapur,” which never contained such posts.
Corporate Stakes and “Marital Discord”
Clarifying the extent of Sunjay Kapur’s shareholding, the defence termed the allegation that he owned 6.5% of Sona BLW as “factually incorrect.”
- Actual Holding: Records showed that Sunjay personally owned 6.5% of AIPL, which translated to approximately 2% in Sona BLW.
- Transmission: The 6.5% stake in AIPL was transmitted to Priya Kapur as she was the registered nominee, a standard corporate compliance verified by SEBI and MCA records.
Responding to claims that Priya was removed as a Director due to marital discord, the defence produced corporate records showing that Priya voluntarily resigned from AIPL on May 24, 2023, to take over as President of RIPL (another group company). This was part of a coordinated restructuring where Sunjay simultaneously resigned from RIPL to become MD of AIPL. The counsel argued that alleging “marital discord” based on these professional moves was “reckless and deeply insensitive.”
Priya Kapur’s legal team asserted that the plaintiff’s stance has repeatedly shifted—from claiming “no will” to alleging “typos,” “forgery,” and finally “marital discord”—none of which, they argued, stood up to scrutiny against bank records and board resolutions.
The matter is currently being heard by the Delhi High Court
