The Supreme Court of India on Monday urged parties in the ongoing inheritance dispute involving the Sona Group family trust to consider mediation, indicating that prolonged litigation may not serve any meaningful purpose.
Hearing the matter titled Rani Kapur vs Priya Sachdev Kapur, a Bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Vijay Bishnoi issued notice on a plea filed by Rani Kapur, seeking responses from Priya Sachdev Kapur and 22 others.
During the hearing, the Bench questioned the need for continued legal confrontation and highlighted the petitioner’s age. According to Bar and Bench and ANI, the judges remarked, “Why are you all fighting? This is not the age for your client to fight… go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z. Otherwise, this is a waste.â€
The Bench further underscored the point, stating, “You are 80. This is not the age for your client to fight,†indicating that a prolonged courtroom battle at such a stage would achieve little.
It added that an amicable resolution would be in the interest of all parties and said it would consider hearing the case on merits only if mediation efforts fail. The matter is scheduled to be listed again next week.
Dispute over trust and estate
At the centre of the dispute is a suit filed by Rani Kapur challenging the validity of the Rani Kapur Family Trust. She has alleged that the trust was created in a fraudulent manner, resulting in her losing control over her estate, including interests in Sona Group companies.
In her plea, she stated that after suffering a stroke in 2017, her late son Sunjay Kapur and his wife Priya Kapur allegedly took advantage of her condition. She claimed that assets were transferred into the trust without her informed consent and that she was made to sign documents, including blank papers, under the guise of routine procedures.
Parallel proceedings and legal arguments
Related proceedings concerning the estate are already pending before the Delhi High Court. In the Supreme Court, the present plea seeks directions to maintain status quo on the transfer or alienation of assets linked to the trust and to restrain respondents from interfering with the estate.
Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Rani Kapur, argued that courts typically grant early protective relief in disputes involving large estates. He was assisted by Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar and Advocate-on-Record Smriti Churiwal.
Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan, representing Mandhira Kapur Smith, said the parties had been left without any share, while Senior Advocate Naveen Pahwa, appearing for the grandchildren, supported the plea and submitted that they had been excluded.
The Bench reiterated that mediation could offer a practical and equitable solution to the dispute, while keeping open the option of adjudicating the matter if required.
First Published on April 28, 2026, 12:51:34 IST
