Allegations of forgery and conspiracy have clouded the inheritance fight over late industrialist Sanjay Kapoor’s Rs 30,000 crore estate, as senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that the alleged will made by Kapoor’s widow Priya Sachdev Kapoor was a fabricated document designed to oust his two children – Samaira and Kiaan Kapoor – and gain control of his huge estate. Luck.
Karisma Kapoor’s kids’ lawyer calls Priya Sachdev “Cinderella’s stepmother” amid Rs 30,000 crore Sanjay Kapoor estate legal battle
Appearing before Judge Jyoti Singh, Jethmalani, representing Samaira and Kiaan Kapoor, Sanjay’s children from his first marriage to actress Karisma Kapoor, alleged that Sanjay “had no role in his will.” The lawyer said digital evidence and travel logs prove that the industrialist was on a holiday with his son Qian between March 15 and 18, 2025, when the document was allegedly modified.
“The will was changed on March 17 at 11:54 am, when Sanjay Kapoor was not even in the city. His digital footprints are missing, replaced by the footprints of the conspirators, including Priya Kapoor,” Jethmalani told the court. “This is a serious offense under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which provides for life imprisonment for forgery of a will.”
At the center of the controversy is a will dated March 21, 2025, in which Sanjay Kapoor’s entire personal property has reportedly been given to his third wife Priya Sachdev Kapoor. The children have challenged its authenticity, saying it was the result of a “criminal conspiracy” between Priya and three associates.
Allegation of ‘Cinderella stepmother’
This metaphor soon became the most quoted line of the day in the courtroom. Jethmalani alleged that Priya Kapoor had treated Samaira and Kiyan like “an evil Cinderella mother” and had conspired to sideline him and her grandmother Rani Kapoor while consolidating wealth and power in her household.
She accused Priya of maintaining secrecy regarding the property, including insisting that family members sign non-disclosure agreements before discussing the property. “If the will was true, why would an NDA be needed? Why the hurry?” he asked.
Jethmalani also questioned the role of nominated executor Shraddha Suri Marwah and claimed that “the person executing the estate was not the executor but Priya herself.” Two witnesses to the will, he said, were later given roles in companies linked to the estate – an “extraordinarily convenient” pattern which, he argued, exposed the fraud. No witnesses have filed an affidavit to validate the will, raising doubts over its origin.
Justice Singh, after opening the sealed envelope, which contained the original documents and the property list, found that there was no signature on the list, and directed Priya Kapoor to re-file it with an affidavit. The court will continue to hear Jethmalani’s arguments on October 13 before the defense presents its case.
According to court filings, the will leaves Karisma Kapoor’s children with a remaining stake of barely 26% in the family trust, while Priya Kapoor and her minor son Azarius have control of nearly three-fourths of the estate. “There was a rush to take over everything before the children could do anything,” Jethmalani told the bench. “This is not a gentle stepmother; this is a Cinderella stepmother.”
Jethmalani also questioned the conduct of Shraddha Suri Marwah, the designated executor of the will, and said that “the person executing the property was not the executor but Priya herself.” He told the court that two witnesses to the will were later rewarded with positions in companies linked to the Kapoor estate, an arrangement he described as “extraordinarily convenient”. No witness has filed an affidavit confirming the validity of the will, he said, a silence that “makes the document even more suspect.”
unsigned will
Justice Singh on Thursday opened the sealed envelope presented by Priya Kapoor containing the original will and list of assets. The judge found that there was no signature on the list, and directed Priya to re-submit the signed version along with an affidavit. The court will continue hearing Jethmalani’s arguments on October 13 before hearing the defence’s arguments.
Advocate Rajeev Nair, representing Priya Sachdev Kapoor, categorically denied the allegations and said that the will was “properly executed and attested long before Sanjay Kapoor’s death.” He argued that the suit filed by the children was “not maintainable” and that the authenticity of the document was supported by contemporaneous evidence.
The controversy dates back to June 12, 2025, when Sanjay Kapoor, chairman of Vividh Sona Group and a well-known face on India’s polo circuit, collapsed during a match in England and died shortly after. In the weeks following her death, Priya initially claimed that all assets were held in the RK Family Trust and that no will existed. As early as the end of July he prepared the document dated March 21, which the children now describe as “forged and fabricated.”
Jethmalani told the court that the alleged forgery was a “conspiracy of four persons” aimed at gaining complete control over the property by rendering Sanjay’s elderly mother Rani Kapoor and her two children “effectively penniless”. “The mother is the director of the trust,” he reminded the bench. “What ungrateful son would leave his mother without a single rupee? This is not Sanjay’s business.”
Beyond the personal drama, the case has broader implications for Indian corporate families that are relying on digitally executed wills and trust structures to manage inter-generational wealth. Questions over metadata, authentication and electronic signatures, which are central to this case, may shape future jurisprudence on digital heritage documents.
At present, the High Court has ordered Priya Kapoor to provide a verified list of assets and has stayed any move to create third party rights. The case will resume next week, but the high-society feud has already gripped both legal and business circles, a cautionary tale of modern money, technology and trust fractured by doubt.
As one lawyer observing the proceedings commented, “This is not just about money. This is a story of power, betrayal and the dangers of digital legacy where the fight for legacy can escape the person who created it.”
Meanwhile, Rahul R Shelke, civil lawyer, Bombay High Court, an expert in succession matters, said, “The claim that the will was modified when the testator was away with his son is legally significant. When such allegations are supported by affidavits of close relatives of the testator and made relevant by evidence of marital discord, they significantly outweigh claims of undue influence or forgery.” Give importance. “Courts will generally adopt a cautious approach, giving priority to protecting the interests of legitimate heirs until a full forensic investigation is concluded.”
Also Read: Karisma Kapoor Sanjay Kapoor’s Rs. I fight for the rights of my children. Property dispute worth Rs 30,000 crore
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