'Priya Kapur can’t operate Sunjay Kapur's PF, other accounts': Why Delhi HC froze his Rs 30,000 crore assets in property row

The onus of disproving suspicions about the legitimacy of late businessman Sunjay Kapur’s purported will lies on his wife Priya Kapur, Delhi high court said Thursday. The court directed that his Rs 30,000-crore estate be frozen until all doubts are settled. Justice Jyoti Singh stated that the plaintiffs had made out a prima facie case justifying the need to protect and preserve the assets pending disposal of the suit. Priya Kapur’s claims have been challenged by Sunjay Kapur’s children from his previous marriage to actor Karisma Kapur. If the assets aren’t preserved and Priya ultimately fails to prove the will’s validity, Sunjay and Karisma’s children Samaira and Kiaan, along with his mother Rani Kapur, would be deprived of their legitimate share of the estate. The interim order freezes equity shareholdings in three Indian companies held by the deceased and restrains disposal of his personal effects, including artwork. Priya has been barred from drawing from her late husband’s provident fund or accessing funds in his Indian bank accounts unless withdrawals are for Sunjay’s divorce obligations. The court also barred her from operating foreign bank accounts and cryptocurrency assets. The order does not apply to Sunjay’s immovable foreign assets, as the legal team argued these were outside the court’s jurisdictional purview. Sunjay Kapur died on July 12, 2023, after collapsing during a polo match in the United Kingdom due to a cardiac arrest following a live bee sting.