NEW DELHI: What began as a story of grief and loss with the sudden death of businessman Sunjay Kapur has quickly spiraled into one of India’s most high-profile inheritance battles. When Sunjay Kapur collapsed during a polo match in Windsor this June, condolences quickly gave way to courtroom drama. His sprawling empire, nearly Rs 30,000 crore, is now at the heart of a bitter feud involving his widow Priya Sachdev Kapur, his 80-year-old mother, Rani Kapur, and his children with actor Karisma Kapoor.And the claims are only getting sharper with each passing day. In the latest, lawyers for Sunjay’s teenage children Samaira and Kiaan have alleged that their father’s disclosed bank accounts had already been “wiped clean”.

Priya has however moved a plea in Delhi high court to submit her late husband’s full asset list in a sealed cover or in the alternative, constitution of Confidentiality Club. She has cited fears of leaks and misuse. The court said filing the list of personal assets and liabilities in a sealed cover may be “problematic” since his two children with former wife and actor Karisma Kapoor have a “right to question the assets disclosed.”The judge has directed Priya to file a complete disclosure of Sunjay’s assets and liabilities as of June 12, the day of his sudden death.

Who was Sunjay Kapur?

Sunjay Kapur, chairman of Sona BLW Precision Forgings (Sona Comstar), was among India’s leading auto component tycoons. His profile extended beyond boardrooms: his marriages, first to designer Nandita Mahtani, then to actor Karisma Kapoor, and finally to fashion entrepreneur Priya Sachdev, kept him firmly in the public eye. The 53-year-old industrialist died suddenly on June 12 in Windsor, England, after collapsing mid-match at the prestigious Guards Polo Club. He reportedly swallowed a bee during the polo match that triggered a fatal heart attack.

The Rs 30,000 crore question: What’s at stake?

At the heart of the dispute is Sunjay Kapur’s estimated Rs 30,000 crore estate, comprising shares, properties, business holdings, and family trusts. Following his death, the division of assets became a legal and emotional battleground between his widow Priya, his two children with Karisma Kapoor (Samaira and Kiaan), his mother Rani Kapur, and Priya’s own child, all seeking their fair share.

People involved in legal battle

Rani Kapur: The matriarch of the family and widow of late industrialist Surinder Kapur, founder of the Sona Group. After her son’s passing, Rani publicly questioned Priya Sachdev Kapur’s control over Aureus Investment and opposed her appointment to the company’s board. In a letter dated July 24, she voiced strong concerns about how affairs were being managed following Sunjay’s death.Samaira & Kiaan Kapur: Samaira and Kiaan are Sunjay and Karisma’s children. Both live with their mother in Mumbai. Samaira and Kiaan Raj have challenged Sunjay’s purported will and sought shares in his assets reportedly worth Rs 30,000 crore. Priya, meanwhile, informed the court that they have already received Rs 1,900 crore from the family trust. Priya Sachdev Kapur: A year after his divorce from Karisma, Sunjay married model-turned-entrepreneur Priya Sachdev. The couple has a son, Azarias. Priya has positioned herself as the defender of both her late husband’s legacy and her son’s rightful share in the estate, but her moves have drawn resistance from both Rani Kapur and Sunjay’s children with Karisma.

Sunjay Kapur’s death triggered a flurry of legal manoeuvring. In July, Sona Comstar held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), brushing aside an emotional plea from Rani Kapur to delay the proceedings. Rani Kapur, in a letter, had asked the board to postpone the AGM by two weeks. Her reason? The family was still reeling from Sunjay’s death and critical decisions about control and legacy were being rushed through behind her back. In her letter to the board and shareholders, Rani called the AGM “insensitive,” accusing unnamed individuals of exploiting the family’s tragedy to “wrest control” of the company and install their preferred nominees.Sona Comstar, however, didn’t blink. In a sharply worded response, the company said the AGM was conducted in “full legal and regulatory compliance.” It dismissed Rani Kapur’s objections, stating that she hadn’t been a shareholder “since at least 2019.”

The inheritance battle reached the Delhi high court as Karisma Kapoor’s children filed a plea seeking their rightful share.At the heart of the suit is a disputed will dated March 21, 2025, which leaves Sunjay’s entire personal estate to his widow Priya Sachdev Kapur. The children have contested the will, calling it “forged, fabricated, and surrounded by suspicious circumstances.”According to the plaint, Sunjay never disclosed the existence of such a will during his lifetime, and neither Priya nor any other family member mentioned it until after his death. The filing alleged that Priya’s conduct demonstrated “without a doubt: that the document has been fabricated.”The children have sought partition of assets, rendition of accounts, and a permanent injunction restraining Priya from selling or encumbering the estate. They also flagged a lack of transparency, telling the court they do not have complete information about their father’s assets at the time of his passing in June 2025.

What Priya Kapur has argued

Priya Kapur has denied the allegations and her lawyers have argued that there is enough evidence to show the will in question was created and executed much before her husband’s death.Kapur’s lawyers have also disclosed that assets worth around Rs 1,900 crore have been transferred to the plaintiff siblings and that Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur’s marriage culminated in a bitter divorce after which she was “nowhere to be seen”.The court will resume the hearing on the matter on Friday.