The Delhi High Court has granted interim relief in favour of the children of Actress Karisma Kapoor in an ongoing dispute over the estate of her late ex-husband and industrialist Sunjay Kapur.

The Court directed that the estate be protected pending adjudication of the validity of a contested Will propounded by Priya Sachdev Kapur. The Court observed that the Will is surrounded by “suspicious and unnatural circumstances” and cannot be relied upon at this stage. It emphasised that the burden lies on the propounder to dispel these doubts at trial.

Taking note of the exclusion of key heirs and 2 children of Karishma Kapoor and Late Sanjay Kapur, Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Kapur, the Court held that the plaintiffs had established a strong prima facie case. It restrained the defendants from dealing with key assets in India, including equity holdings, bank accounts, provident funds, and artworks, while allowing limited withdrawals strictly for the benefit of the children.

Additionally, the Court barred the operation of foreign bank accounts and imposed a restriction on cryptocurrency transactions during the pendency of proceedings. The matter will now proceed to trial for the determination of the Will’s validity.

Appearances

Plaintiffs- Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, along with advocates Saurav Agrawal, Ravi Sharma, Adhiraj Harish, and Akhil Sachar. Lexster Law LLP, with Shantanu Agrawal (Partner) and advocates Madhulika Rai Sharma,  Manas Arora, Syed Hamza Ghayour, Ananya Garg, Tazeen Ahmed, Rasveen Kaur, Prachi Dubey, Samayra Adhlakha, Tushar Nair, and Mehak Joshi.

Respondents- Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar, Akhil Sibal, and Shyel Trehan. Bahuguna Law Associates, led by Senior Partner Meghna Mishra, Partner Designate Ankit Rajgarhia, Principal Associate Tarun Sharma, and Associate Rohit Kumar.