The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud as mediator in the family dispute between late industrialist Sunjay Kapur's mother Rani Kapur and his wife Priya Kapur over the control of a family trust.
Court Directs Parties to Maintain Confidentiality
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the parties to participate in the mediation proceedings with an open mind and directed them not to make public statements or discuss the matter on social media.
“It is a family dispute. Let it be confined among the family only. It should not be a source of entertainment,” the court further added.
Background of the Dispute
The apex court also noted that during the previous hearing on April 27, it had suggested mediation considering the nature of the dispute. On Thursday, counsel appearing for all parties agreed to the proposal, following which the court appointed former CJI Chandrachud as the mediator.
“We shall await a preliminary report from the mediator and thereafter proceed further with the matter,” the court said while posting the hearing for August.
The dispute pertains to a family trust allegedly constituted in October 2017 in the name of 80-year-old Rani Kapur. She has approached the apex court seeking directions to declare the trust “null and void”, alleging that it was created using “forged, fabricated and fraudulent” documents.
Legal Proceedings
The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice to Priya Kapur and others on Rani Kapur's plea. The petition also sought status quo on alienation of the trust's properties and assets until the matter is decided.
The battle over control of the estate and assets of the Kapur family is already pending before the Delhi high court and the petition before the top court seeks a status quo on alienation of all the properties of the trust.
