The legal battle surrounding the estate of late businessman Sunjay Kapur continues to play out in court. The case now involves his sister Mandhira Kapur Smith and his widow Priya Sachdev Kapur, who are currently facing off in a defamation case connected to public statements made about the family and its legacy.
At a recent hearing in the Patiala House Court, Mandhira submitted her reply to the criminal defamation complaint filed against her by Priya. Along with the response, she also filed an application requesting the court to direct the complainant to produce certain documents that she believes are relevant to the case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Siddhant Sihag heard preliminary arguments related to the application and scheduled the next hearing for March 30, 2026. The court also granted time to counsel for the proposed accused, Pooja Chaudhary, to submit a reply.
Dispute over request for documents
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Priya Sachdev Kapur, opposed Mandhira’s application. He argued before the court that the request seeking production of documents was not maintainable at this stage of the case. Maninder also informed the court that while he would not be filing a formal written reply, he reserved the right to raise legal arguments during the proceedings.
On the other side, Advocate Amit Prasad, appearing for Mandhira, submitted both the reply to the defamation complaint and the application for document production. He argued that the alleged defamatory remarks attributed to Mandhira should not be examined in isolation and cited a judgment of the Supreme Court of India to support the request.
However, Maninder maintained that the ruling referenced by Mandhira’s legal team was not applicable to the present circumstances.
How the defamation case began
The dispute dates back to January this year, when Priya Sachdev Kapur filed a criminal defamation complaint against her sister-in-law, Mandhira. According to the petition, Priya alleged that several statements made by Mandhira across podcasts, media interviews and social media platforms contained false claims, insinuations and personal attacks. The complaint also stated that these remarks were presented as facts even though related matters were already under judicial consideration.
Mandhira has publicly denied that her statements were intended to damage Priya’s reputation. Speaking to ANI, she claimed that, “..The truth will come out…” Mandhira further told Republic TV, “I’m not…being malicious or anything. If the truth is what it is, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not here to lie. What is Mandira’s truth here? The truth is that no one can walk away with our legacy and we will get it back. That is the truth.”
She also added, “What is the defamation here? What bit is the defamation? She may not like what is being said but then I can’t help it if it’s the truth…I mean, I’m not saying anything that, you know, which is defaming. I’m literally telling the truth.”
The court has now listed the matter for further hearing on March 30, as the legal dispute within the Kapur family continues to progress.