Supreme Court notice to Karisma Kapoor over Priya Kapur's plea for divorce records
Priya Kapur has sought access to the said divorce records to ascertain the financial and child custody arrangements made by her late former husband.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to actor Karisma Kapoor asking for her reply on Priya Kapur's plea seeking records of her divorce with Sanjay Kapoor in 2016.
Priya Kapur is the third-wife of late businessman Sunjay Kapur and is currently locked in a will battle with Karisma Kapoor's children over her husband's Rs 30,000-crore estate.
During the hearing, Karisma Kapoor's counsel strongly opposed the plea, terming it frivolous and an attempt to dig out personal and confidential information.
A bench of Justice AS Chandurkar, in a chamber hearing, asked Karisma to place her objections on record and granted her two weeks' time to file a detailed response.
Priya, in her application, has sought certified copies of the divorce petition, documents filed before the court, orders passed by the Supreme Court, and specifically the settlement agreement to ascertain the financial and child custody arrangements made by her late former husband.
Sunjay Kapur's sister Mandhira Kapur Smith said, "...It's trying to divert what is going on. Firstly, if my brother wanted to share this with her, he would have shared it with her while they were married. So, I don't understand why she is trying to play all this..."
She added, "I think a divorce is confidential. They (Karisma and Sunjay) have children together. It's not like it's a divorce without children. I don't think it's anybody's business, except for the two people who are involved in it..."
Karisma Kapoor’s children Samaira Kapur and her brother Kiaan Kapur, who are locked in a legal battle over their late father Sunjay Kapur’s Rs 30,000-crore estate, earlier approached the Delhi High Court, alleging the will is "forged and fabricated". The contested will of the late industrialist reportedly bequeaths almost his entire wealth to his wife, Priya Kapur, excluding his children from his previous marriage to Karisma Kapoor, as well as his mother and siblings.
Samaira and Kiaan Kapur, in their application before the High Court, have alleged that the signatures on the will do not belong to their father. They have further alleged that Priya, in collusion with the attesting witnesses, falsified the documents. They have sought inspection of the original will, which was placed before the High Court in a sealed cover in September last year. They have sought an interim injunction to restrain Priya Kapur from dealing with or alienating assets belonging to Sunjay Kapur.
Sunjay Kapur, businessman and former chairman of auto components maker Sona Comstar, died at the age of 53 in June last year after suffering a sudden heart attack while playing polo in England. After his death, the disputed will emerged, setting off a high-octane legal battle.