Highlights
- Samaira and Kiaan Kapur allege key bank accounts tied to the Sunjay Kapur estate have been emptied.
- Delhi High Court raised concerns over a widow’s plea to submit the asset list in a sealed cover.
- The fight centres on a will the children say they never knew about and now call “bogus.”
- Assets are estimated at about £2.52 billion (₹30,000 crore); the children were reportedly paid about £159.6 million (₹1,900 crore) before filing.
The inheritance dispute over industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s estate took a sharp turn in Delhi High Court as Karisma Kapoor’s children told judges they believe the estate’s bank accounts have been “wiped clean.” Counsel for Samaira and Kiaan Kapur told the court there is “nothing left” in key accounts, pushing the bench to question a request by the widow, Priya Sachdev, to keep the full asset list confidential. The stakes are high: the estate is valued at roughly £2.52 billion (₹30,000 crore).
Samaira and Kiaan Kapur claim banks wiped clean in Sunjay Kapur inheritance row Instagram/therealsamairakapoor/Getty Images
Children allege bank accounts wiped clean
Samaira and Kiaan’s lawyer said audited records and bank statements suggested funds had been moved out of accounts linked to the estate. That blunt allegation: “banks have been wiped off, there is nothing left” became the headline moment of the hearing and set the tone for the children’s broader claim that they have been blocked from verifying assets they may legally inherit as Class I heirs.
Priya Sachdev’s legal team asked the court to accept a detailed inventory of assets in a sealed cover, arguing privacy and security concerns. Justice Jyoti Singh voiced obvious scepticism, asking how the children could properly contest a will or challenge transfers if they were bound by confidentiality. The bench described unconditional secrecy as “problematic” for defending legal rights while seeking a way to balance privacy with transparency.
Samaira and Kiaan Kapur claim banks wiped clean in Sunjay Kapur inheritance row Instagram/therealsamairakapoor/Getty Images
Will authenticity to face forensic scrutiny
At the heart of the case is a will the children say they never saw until weeks after Sunjay Kapur’s death. They have labelled that document “bogus” and asked the court to subject any contested papers to forensic verification. The litigation will now move beyond headline accusations to technical probes: handwriting analysis, document provenance checks and a forensic examination of financial flows tied to the estate.
Priya Sachdev’s counsel countered the children’s narrative by saying Samaira and Kiaan were paid a substantial sum, reported in court as about £159.6 million (₹1,900 crore), shortly before the legal action began. That payment, the widow’s lawyers argue, undermines suggestions the children were left bereft. The siblings maintain the payout does not resolve the larger questions about the will’s legitimacy or the current status of remaining assets.
Randhir Kapoor had strongly opposed Karisma’s marriage to businessman Sunjay Kapur Getty Images
What happens next
The court tried a middle path at the hearing: it directed the list of assets be filed in a sealed cover but ordered copies shared with all parties involved, preserving some confidentiality while ensuring the children can scrutinise the claims. The next steps include forensic examination of the contested will and a detailed review of financial transactions. For now, judges urged an end to public blame-trading but stopped short of an outright gag order. This family legal drama, marked by allegations of emptied accounts, claims of a “bogus” will and a multi-billion-pound estate, appears set for a prolonged, technical and highly scrutinised legal battle.
