From NDAs to sealed covers: Inside explosive Sanjay Kapur family property dispute involving Priya Sachdev and Karisma Kapoor's children

Dubai: The Delhi High Court is once again the stage for the Sanjay Kapur family’s very public inheritance showdown — and this week’s episode came with a side of secrecy demands, according to India Today.

Priya Sachdev Kapur, widow of the late industrialist Sunjay Kapur, urged the court to let her disclose details of his assets only under tight confidentiality.

Her ask? That Sunjay’s mother, Rani Kapur, and his two children from his marriage to actor Karisma Kapoor — Samaira and Kiaan — be forced to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before laying eyes on the paperwork. She even offered to submit the list in a sealed envelope, citing fears of cybersecurity leaks and misuse of sensitive financial information.

If NDAs felt too extreme, Priya floated another option: creating a “Confidentiality Club” so only a select group of lawyers and representatives could view the documents.

But Justice Jyoti Singh, who is presiding over the matter, wasn’t ready to turn the case into a sealed affair.

The bench pointed out that unless all parties had access to asset details, they couldn’t properly respond. “The whole suit cannot be in a sealed cover,” the judge observed, while signalling openness to suggestions that would balance privacy with fairness.

The push for secrecy comes after a September 10 order directing Priya to file a comprehensive account of Sunjay Kapur’s assets and liabilities and deposit the will currently in her custody in a sealed cover. That will, however, is already under fire. Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the children, has questioned its legitimacy, calling its sudden emergence at the Taj Hotel — just a day before the executor learned of it — deeply suspicious.

Adding to the fire, Rani Kapur has also cried foul. Through her counsel, Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, she alleged that her rights under the family trust were undermined after Priya’s marriage. In court, the 80-year-old matriarch said bluntly: “There’s something unholy going on. I am 80 years old and concerned for my grandchildren. Despite repeated mails, I never received a copy of the will.”

Representing Rani, Senior Advocate Amit Sibal echoed the resistance to confidentiality agreements, saying he needed unfettered access to verify the will. Imposing NDAs or similar restrictions, he argued, was “somewhat unusual” and could compromise his client’s rights.

As for Karisma Kapoor’s children, their legal team stressed that inheritance disputes are civil matters where beneficiaries must be free to scrutinise disclosed assets. Transparency, they argued, cannot be optional.

The court wrapped the session by adjourning to the following day, leaving one central question dangling: can Priya keep parts of Sunjay Kapur’s vast empire under wraps, or will transparency trump her bid for discretion?

What’s certain is this: between a disputed will, whispers of “suspicious” disclosures, and an estate reportedly worth ₹30,000 crore, this battle is far from a quiet family affair. It’s courtroom theatre — NDAs, sealed envelopes, and all.