SC names former CJI DY Chandrachud to resolve Kapur family trust battle

New Delhi, May 7 The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud as mediator to resolve the ongoing family dispute between Rani Kapur and Priya Sachdev Kapur over the alleged RK Family Trust linked to the Sona Group estate.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order after all parties agreed to explore a settlement through mediation.

Observing that the controversy was a “family affair”, the apex court requested all parties not to make any public statements or post about the dispute on social media. “It’s a family dispute; let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench orally remarked, clarifying that the mediation proceedings would be confined to disputes among the family members.

“The endeavour should be to resolve the dispute and put an end to the matter. We firmly believe all parties should participate in the mediation with an open mind,” it added.

The apex court further said that it would await a preliminary report from the mediator before taking up the matter further and posted the case for hearing in August.

The dispute pertains to the creation and control of the so-called RK Family Trust/Rani Kapur Family Trust, which has been challenged by 80-year-old Rani Kapur as fraudulent and illegal. According to the suit, Rani Kapur is the sole beneficiary of the estate of her late husband, industrialist Dr Surinder Kapur, who passed away in 2015 and had allegedly bequeathed all movable and immovable properties to her through a will probated by the Bombay High Court in 2016.

The petition alleged that despite this, her entire estate was clandestinely diverted into a newly created trust without her knowledge or informed consent.

Describing herself as a victim of “illegal acts, forgery and undue influence”, Rani Kapur claimed that within days of the death of her son, industrialist Sunjay Kapur, control over key group companies was assumed without her knowledge.

Earlier, on April 27, the apex court had issued notice on Rani Kapur’s plea and indicated that mediation could be an appropriate mechanism for resolving the dispute, particularly considering her advanced age.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Delhi High Court recently granted interim protection to Sunjay Kapur’s children from his previous marriage with Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor, restraining Priya Kapur from dissipating or creating third-party rights over key portions of the deceased industrialist’s estate pending adjudication of the inheritance dispute.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Jyoti Singh held that the estate of the deceased was required to be preserved during the pendency of the proceedings and observed that suspicious circumstances surrounding the purported will had been raised by the plaintiffs -- Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Kapur -- as well as Rani Kapur.

The Delhi High Court restrained Priya Kapur from alienating, transferring, pledging, or altering the equity and shareholding structure in Sunjay Kapur’s Indian companies and also barred withdrawal of provident fund amounts, disposal of artworks, personal effects and cryptocurrencies linked to the estate.

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