‘Not maintainable’: Karisma Kapoor’s lawyer on Priya Kapur’s plea for Sunjay Kapur’s divorce papers

Actor Karisma Kapoor’s lawyer has opposed a plea filed by Priya Kapur Sachdev, the widow of industrialist Sunjay Kapur, seeking copies of divorce documents related to his marriage with the actor, arguing that the petition is “not maintainable”.

The Kapur family is locked in a legal dispute over the inheritance of Sunjay Kapur’s estate, estimated to be worth about Rs 30,000 crore. The case involves Kapur’s mother Rani Kapur, sister Mandhira Kapur Smith, former wife Karisma Kapoor and their two children, and his third wife Priya Kapur Sachdev.

Sunjay Kapur, 53, died on June 12 after suffering a heart attack during a polo match, reportedly triggered by a bee sting. During the hearing, Karisma Kapoor’s counsel submitted that Priya Kapur was not a party to the divorce proceedings between Sunjay Kapur and Karisma Kapoor and therefore lacked the legal standing to seek related records. On these grounds, the counsel said the plea was not maintainable.

The court directed Karisma Kapoor’s counsel to file a response within two weeks but kept the issue of maintainability open. The matter was heard in chambers by Justice A.S. Chandurkar. Reacting to the plea, Sunjay Kapur’s sister Mandhira Kapur Smith called it “ridiculous”, questioning the relevance of the divorce documents. Speaking to News18, she said she had “full faith in the judiciary”.

Responding to Priya Kapur’s claims that Karisma Kapoor’s children and Sunjay Kapur’s mother had received substantial sums in trust, Mandhira said, “Who is she? It’s not hers to give. It belonged to my brother.”

Sunjay Kapur was chairman of Sona Comstar, a global automotive components company with manufacturing operations across India, China, Mexico, Serbia and the United States. Forbes estimated his net worth at $1.2 billion (around Rs 10,300 crore) in 2024, with a peak valuation of $1.6 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore).

Sona Comstar was founded by his father, Surinder Kapur, in 1997. Sunjay Kapur took over the company after his father’s death in 2015.

Separately, Karisma Kapoor’s children, Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Raj Kapur, have moved the Delhi High Court seeking a share in their late father’s estate, alleging that a will disclosed after his death is “forged and fabricated”.

Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur married in September 2003 and divorced in June 2016. They had two children together. After the divorce, Kapur bought bonds worth Rs 14 crore for the children and transferred ownership of a house, earlier owned by his father, to Karisma Kapoor. He later married Priya Kapur in April 2017, and the couple had one child.

Court filings state that the executor of Sunjay Kapur’s estate has informed Karisma Kapoor that neither she nor her children are named beneficiaries in the will, though she has been offered the opportunity to inspect the document at the executor’s office.