"Priya Kapur is like Cinderella's stepmother": Karisma Kapoor's children tell Delhi HC in dispute over father's assets

Karisma Kapoor’s two children on Thursday compared their stepmother, Priya Sachdev Kapur, to folk tale character Cinderella’s stepmother. 

Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani appeared for Kapoor’s children and alleged that soon after their father Sunjay Kapur’s death, Priya Kapur was in a tearing hurry to appropriate his assets. 

“The tearing hurry was so that the children’s share is restricted to 26% and she appropriates the rest. Therein lies the veneer. This is no benign stepmother. This is Cinderella’s stepmother,” Jethmalani said.

In Cinderella’s tale, her stepmother, Lady Tremaine, is the main antagonist. 

Jethmalani said that Priya Kapur and her minor son have control of nearly 75% share of the trust while Karisma Kapoor’s two children are left with 26%. 

He further alleged that by publicly stating that Kapoor’s two children had received nearly ₹2,000 crore, Priya Kapur has made them the target of kidnapping. 

“These children are made targets of any kidnapper,” he stated. 

Jethmalani made the submission before Justice Jyoti Singh who was hearing Kapoor’s children’s partition suit seeking a share in their father’s assets.

Jethmalani was arguing on the interim relief application to restrain Priya Kapur from creating any third-party rights on the assets.

The siblings have accused stepmother Priya Kapur (the third wife of Sanjay Kapur) of forging Sunjay Kapur's will and trying to gain total control of the property. 

Karisma Kapoor and Sunjay Kapur were married for 13 years, between 2003 and 2016 before getting divorced. They have a son and a daughter together.

Sunjay later married Priya.

Central to the dispute is a will dated March 21, 2025, which allegedly leaves Sunjay Kapur’s entire personal estate to Priya Sachdeva Kapur.

Priya Kapur has denied the allegations and her lawyers have consistently maintained that there is enough evidence to show the will in question was created and executed much before Sunjay Kapur's death.

Kapur's lawyers have also disclosed that assets worth around ₹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”

During the hearing today, Jethmalani questioned the authenticity of the will and the role of the executor, Shradha Suri Marwah. 

“All these documents indicate that the person who was executing these assets was not the executor but Priya,” he said. 

He added that the will was forged by Priya Kapur with the help of the two witnesses to it. 

“These witnesses are then appointed to positions in the company. The will is forged. It is a crime under Section 464 IPC, which is forgery. It carries life imprisonment,” he added. 

Further, he said that neither of the two witnesses to the will had filed an affidavit in its support. 

“They have not and that makes it more suspicious,” he said. 

Advocate Anuradha Dutt appeared for the executor and challenged the assertions. She said that the suit is not maintainable and that the will has not even been challenged. 

The Court was further told that Jethmalani was personally present during the formal reading of the will. 

Meanwhile, Justice Jyoti Singh opened the will and the list of assets filed in sealed cover by Priya Kapur. 

The judge noted that the document listing the assets did not carry any signature. Therefore, the Court directed Kapur to file the list of assets with signature along with an affidavit. 

The Court will continue hearing Jethmalani’s arguments on Monday.

Counsel representing Priya Kapur, Shradha Suri Marwah and Rani Kapur (Sunjay Kapur’s mother) will argue after that. 

Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani with advocates Saurav Agrawal, Ravi Sharma and Akhil Sachar. They were briefed by Lexster Law LLP through Shantanu Agrawal (Partner), Manas Arora, Madhulika Rai Sharma, Syed Hamza, Ananya Garg, Prachi Dubey, Samayra Adhlakha, Tushar Nair and Mehak Joshi.

Priya Sachdev Kapur and her minor son were represented by Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar and Akhil Sibal, briefed by Bahuguna Law Associates through Meghna Mishra, Senior Partner, Ankit Rajgarhia, Partner Designate, Tarun Sharma, Principal Associate and Rohit Kumar, Associate.