Sunjay Kapur family feud: SC appoints ex-CJI DY Chandrachud to act as mediator between Priya Kapur, Rani Kapur
Rani Kapur-Priya Kapur feud: The court appointed Chandrachud as mediator and said it would await a preliminary report before proceeding further.
- May 7, 2026,
- Updated May 7, 2026 4:24 PM IST
Former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has been appointed by the Supreme Court to mediate in the dispute between Rani Kapur and Priya Kapur, the mother and widow of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, over the family trust linked to the Kapur family. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan referred the matter to mediation after all sides agreed to explore a settlement.
The court said the dispute was a family matter and asked the parties to approach mediation with an open mind. It also said they should not make public statements or post on social media about the case. During the hearing, the bench observed, “It is a family dispute. Let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment.”
The bench said it had, on April 27, suggested mediation in view of the nature of the dispute among family members. Recording the consent of all counsel, the court appointed Chandrachud as mediator and said it would await a preliminary report before proceeding further. The matter has been posted for August. The court added that the mediator's fees and other modalities would be fixed in consultation with the parties, and directed them to get in touch with the mediator.
The court also made it clear that the mediation would be confined to the present matter and only in so far as the family members were concerned. It said the endeavour should be to resolve the dispute at the earliest, adding that if the parties were unable to settle it before the mediator, the case could turn into long-drawn litigation.
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Rani Kapur had moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to declare the family trust 'null and void' and asking for status quo on the alienation of all properties of the trust. The legal proceedings over control of the estate and assets are also pending before the Delhi High Court. At the earlier hearing, the top court had issued notice to Priya Kapur and others on Rani Kapur's plea.
In her petition, the 80-year-old Rani Kapur alleged that the trust, stated to have been constituted in her name in October 2017, was the product of 'forged, fabricated and fraudulent' documents. She has sought a direction to permanently restrain the defendants, including her daughter-in-law Priya Kapur and grandchildren, from utilising or acting in furtherance of the 'RK Family Trust' in any manner.
Her plea said she was the sole beneficiary of the entire estate of her late husband, Surinder Kapur, promoter of various businesses including the Sona Group of Companies, and alleged that a 'systematic fraud' was committed on her when the assets were transferred to the RK Family Trust. The petition further claimed that till the time of his death, Sunjay Kapur never confirmed to her that she had been divested of her rights, assets and legacy, and never provided her a copy of the purported trust.
Sunjay Kapur died on June 12 after collapsing during a polo match in England and reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest. A separate plea by Karisma Kapoor's two children challenging the authenticity of their late father's purported will is also pending in the Delhi High Court.
Former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has been appointed by the Supreme Court to mediate in the dispute between Rani Kapur and Priya Kapur, the mother and widow of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, over the family trust linked to the Kapur family. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan referred the matter to mediation after all sides agreed to explore a settlement.
The court said the dispute was a family matter and asked the parties to approach mediation with an open mind. It also said they should not make public statements or post on social media about the case. During the hearing, the bench observed, “It is a family dispute. Let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment.”
The bench said it had, on April 27, suggested mediation in view of the nature of the dispute among family members. Recording the consent of all counsel, the court appointed Chandrachud as mediator and said it would await a preliminary report before proceeding further. The matter has been posted for August. The court added that the mediator's fees and other modalities would be fixed in consultation with the parties, and directed them to get in touch with the mediator.
The court also made it clear that the mediation would be confined to the present matter and only in so far as the family members were concerned. It said the endeavour should be to resolve the dispute at the earliest, adding that if the parties were unable to settle it before the mediator, the case could turn into long-drawn litigation.
DON'T MISS | Sunjay Kapur estate row: Priya Kapur removes Rani Kapur as trustee of RK Family Trust
Rani Kapur had moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to declare the family trust 'null and void' and asking for status quo on the alienation of all properties of the trust. The legal proceedings over control of the estate and assets are also pending before the Delhi High Court. At the earlier hearing, the top court had issued notice to Priya Kapur and others on Rani Kapur's plea.
In her petition, the 80-year-old Rani Kapur alleged that the trust, stated to have been constituted in her name in October 2017, was the product of 'forged, fabricated and fraudulent' documents. She has sought a direction to permanently restrain the defendants, including her daughter-in-law Priya Kapur and grandchildren, from utilising or acting in furtherance of the 'RK Family Trust' in any manner.
Her plea said she was the sole beneficiary of the entire estate of her late husband, Surinder Kapur, promoter of various businesses including the Sona Group of Companies, and alleged that a 'systematic fraud' was committed on her when the assets were transferred to the RK Family Trust. The petition further claimed that till the time of his death, Sunjay Kapur never confirmed to her that she had been divested of her rights, assets and legacy, and never provided her a copy of the purported trust.
Sunjay Kapur died on June 12 after collapsing during a polo match in England and reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest. A separate plea by Karisma Kapoor's two children challenging the authenticity of their late father's purported will is also pending in the Delhi High Court.