The Supreme Court on Monday expressed deep concern over the ongoing legal battle between late industrialist Sanjay Kapoor’s mother and his widow over his huge wealth. Adopting a humanitarian approach, the court said that 80 years is not the age to get entangled in legal disputes, but to live in peace.Hearing his petition, Justice J.B. A bench headed by Pardiwala remarked, “This legal battle has started at the age of 80…this is not the age to fight.” The bench encouraged all the parties to resolve the matter amicably instead of engaging in a protracted legal battle. The case pertains to a bitter dispute over inheritance within the Sona Group family. Rani Kapoor has challenged the formation and functioning of a ‘family trust’. They allege that through this trust they have been evicted from their own properties.
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He has approached the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order which had refused to grant him interim protection and his demand for safekeeping of his property till the final decision of the case was also rejected.
Rani Kapoor has alleged that she has been deprived of her entire inheritance – which includes her property, residential house and other movable and immovable properties. He has demanded immediate security measures in view of the possibility of these properties being transferred to someone else.
Court pointed to the risk of a long legal battle
The Supreme Court noted that the dispute, involving large amounts of assets and multiple parties, could result in a protracted legal battle.
The bench remarked, “This will be a long drawn legal battle. The plaintiff is 80 years old. It would be in the interest of all the parties to take the route of mediation and resolve the issue amicably.”
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Although the court also said that it will hear the case on its merits, it made it clear that its first effort will be to motivate all the parties towards a settlement through mutual negotiations. The bench further said, “We will hear the case on its merits; however, we will definitely encourage mediation.”
Allegations of fraud and property transfer
In her lawsuit, Rani Kapoor has alleged that the ‘family trust’ was formed fraudulently. This trust was used to hand over control of Sona Group’s key assets to someone else without their full knowledge and consent.
He claimed that after he suffered a stroke in 2017, he was made to sign certain documents – including some blank sheets – on the pretext of administrative needs. According to him, his late son Sanjay Kapoor and his wife Priya Kapoor took advantage of his weak medical condition and got the ownership of the properties transferred in the name of the trust. This controversy increased further after the death of Sanjay Kapoor in June last year. Rani Kapoor alleged that Priya Kapoor later took over important companies of the group, due to which she did not get any share in the property.
Multiple parties, parallel legal action
In this matter, claims are being made not only on behalf of Rani Kapoor, but also on behalf of other members of the family – including grandchildren. Parallel legal proceedings related to this case are already going on in the Delhi High Court.
Senior advocate Shyam Diwan, appearing for Rani Kapoor, argued that in disputes involving large estates, courts usually issue protection orders at an early stage to prevent the property from being taken away.
On the other hand, the lawyer appearing for other family members opposed Rani Kapoor’s claims and said that they too have been evicted from the property.
However, the Supreme Court emphasized that given the complexity of the dispute and the age of the petitioner, an amicable settlement would be more effective than a protracted legal battle. The matter will be heard again next week.