The dispute over late industrialist Sanjay Kapoor’s legacy took a sharp turn in the Delhi High Court on Thursday, as the bench questioned the credibility of the will submitted by his widow Priya Kapoor. Senior lawyer Rajeev Nair, representing Priya, attempted to defend the document, but the court repeatedly raised concerns about inconsistencies, drafting errors and the absence of evidence linking Sanjay to the will.
‘Template’ explanation raises more doubts
Nair argued that errors in the will – such as Sanjay being referred to as “testatrix”, misspelled names and incorrect pronouns – were copied from a “template” based on the will of Sanjay’s mother Rani Kapoor. However, the bench pressed him on why a billionaire with huge wealth would adopt an old template without correcting basic information about his life and family.
The clarification also highlighted what was left out of the will:
- No list of Sanjay’s major properties
- There is no mention of his first two children Adara and Kiyan
- Only Priya and her children, Sapphira and Azarius, have been named as beneficiaries.
Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani argued that this selective inclusion makes the will “a manufactured document designed to benefit one party”.
Misspelled son’s name raises red flags
Nairn’s justification for the misspelling of Azarius (“Azarias”) – that it came from the queen’s will – raised further questions. Critics asked why parents would rely on the mother-in-law’s testamentary document to name their child.
Sanjay’s sister Mandhira Kapoor expressed these concerns publicly, saying, “My brother was a special human being. He can’t spell his son’s name wrong. These are gifts.”
Procedural gap: missing notarization
Another major issue raised was the lack of notarization.
Rani Kapoor’s will – the alleged template – was notarized, but the will made for Sanjay was neither notarized nor registered, despite involving a much larger estate.
Nair claimed that Nitin Sharma had drafted the will, but his name appears neither in Priya’s written statement nor in Nitin’s own affidavit, raising doubts about authenticity.
No evidence of Sanjay’s involvement
The court said that the defense has not produced a single document to show that Sanjay had reviewed or approved the will. There is no email, message, instructions or annotation linking Sanjay to the drafting process.
While Sanjay’s name is recorded in the notarial register for previous documents – indicating that he understood the formal procedures – no such step was taken for this will. The bench also clarified that WhatsApp screenshots cannot be considered as proof of corroboration.
Legal precedent cited by the defense under Supreme Court review
The defense invoked the Sanjay Kalra decision, but the Court noted that the case was decided after a full hearing – unlike the interim stage here – and is currently under review by the Supreme Court.
Jethmalani argued that the issues in the Kapoor Will go far beyond minor mistakes and relate directly to the question of who actually wrote the document.
Forensic concerns add pressure
The plaintiffs have pointed to forensic analysis to say that the will was generated on a device not linked to Sanjay. Nair’s explanation that the document was saved by employee Nitin Sharma does not address the absence of any digital trace linking Sanjay to the will.
With the case returning to court on Friday, Priya Kapoor’s legal team faces mounting pressure to address not only the printing issues, but also the broader question of whether the will was made – or approved – by Sanjay Kapoor.
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