Power struggle erupts in Sunjay Kapur’s firm

Just a month after Sona Comstar chairperson Sunjay Kapur died in London, a family dispute has erupted over the inheritance of one of India’s leading auto component makers.

- Nehal Chaliawala and Ayaan Kartik

Citing a 2015 will, Sunjay's mother Rani Kapur has claimed to be the sole beneficiary of the estate of her late husband and company founder Surinder Kapur. In a letter to the Sona Comstar board, she further claimed that she was coerced into signing certain documents without revealing their content by individuals she did not name.

In her July 24 letter, Rani Kapur called for deferring the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for the next day. She expressed concern that certain individuals would be appointed to the Sona Comstar board as nominees of the Kapur family without her consent.

However, the AGM was held, where Priya Sachdev Kapur, wife of the late Sunjay Kapur, was appointed non-executive director.

“It is unfortunate that while the family and I are still in mourning, some people have chosen this as an opportune time to wrest control and usurp the family legacy,” Rani Kapur wrote. HT has seen a copy of the letter.

Rani Kapur's letter said her son had died "under highly suspicious and unexplained circumstances." In a press statement, Sona Comstar, officially called Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd, acknowledged receiving the letter.

The company said it chose to proceed with the AGM based on legal advice it received. It also pointed out that Rani Kapur was not a shareholder of the company.

At stake is the 28.02% promoter shareholding in Sona BLW, which was worth nearly 28,200 crore as of Friday.