In a hearing at the Delhi High Court recently, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing actor Karisma Kapoor’s children, compared Priya Sachdev Kapur, widow of late businessman Sunjay Kapur, to the evil stepmother from the classic fairytale Cinderella. The remark came during proceedings over Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000 crore inheritance, according to News18.
Jethmalani accused Priya of trying to limit the inheritance of Sunjay’s children from his previous marriage. “This is a Cinderella stepmother,” he told the court, pointing out that Priya already owns 60% of the assets, around 12% is with her own son, and she controls 75% of the trust. The lawyer said she was in a hurry, even starting to write letters about Benami forms, which are used to determine beneficiaries of companies.
The senior advocate questioned the validity of the will, saying it was hard to believe that a businessman like Sunjay Kapur would not have consulted a lawyer before creating such a large estate. When asked if the will was typed, Jethmalani confirmed it was and highlighted several “loopholes and infirmities” in the document.
“This is not a normal case. There’s no reason why the executor wasn’t informed or why a lawyer wasn’t consulted. A genuine will by a well-positioned man in society does not suffer from loopholes and infirmities,” he argued, according to the report.
Jethmalani also alleged that the will was altered while Sunjay was on holiday with his son and that the person who made the changes became a company director just a day after Sunjay’s funeral. He warned that forging a will is a serious offence punishable by life imprisonment and said, “This is a case where the entire justice system is being taken for a joke.”
The case involves a suit filed by Karisma Kapoor’s children seeking a fair share in their late father’s personal estate. The hearing was adjourned and is now scheduled to resume on October 16.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
