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Summary
The Supreme Court urged the parties involved in the Sunjay Kapur family dispute to approach mediation with an open mind and observed that prolonged litigation would only deepen divisions within the family. So, how does mediation work in high-profile family business disputes?
New Delhi/Mumbai: The Supreme Court’s decision to send the high-profile Kapur family dispute over late Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay Kapur’s estimated ₹30,000-crore estate to mediation under former chief justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has drawn attention to how Indian courts are handling promoter-family battles outside traditional courtroom litigation.
Mint explains whether mediation can really solve inheritance battles that carry financial and emotional stakes, and how mediation works in high-profile family business disputes.
What is the Kapur family dispute?
The inheritance battle emerged last year after Sunjay Kapur, the then chairman of Sona Comstar, one of India’s largest automotive technology and EV component makers, died following a heart attack.
Sunjay Kapur’s children – Samaira and Kiaan – from his earlier marriage to actor Karisma Kapoor, moved the Delhi High Court, challenging a will that allegedly left his entire estate to his widow, Priya Kapur. They sought a one-fifth share each in their father’s personal estate and claimed they were repeatedly denied access to the will.
How does mediation work?
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in which a neutral mediator helps parties negotiate a settlement rather than litigate the matter in a full court trial. India broadly has court-referred mediation, institutional mediation, private mediation, pre-litigation mediation and online mediation. Under the Mediation Act, 2023, mediated settlements can receive legal enforceability.
A 2016 report by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy found that out of nearly 46,000 court-referred mediation cases, about 41,503 were family disputes. More than 25,000 family law matters were referred to mediation between 2011 and 2015
“The process typically starts from identifying the core disputes and stakeholders and moves to confidential negotiations around governance, succession, ownership and control structures,” said Jayati Chitale, partner at Chitale & Chitale Partners. “What is important is that mediation is flexible and interest-based rather than strictly adjudicatory.”
Can mediation actually work?
One of the high-stakes corporate family disputes being resolved through settlement and mediation was the 2005 Ambani family split. Though not a formal court-ordered mediation, the conflict between Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani over control of the Reliance empire was resolved through a private negotiation by their mother, Kokilaben Ambani.
In 2025, the apex court referred the feud between GreatWhite promoters Mehul Shah and Hemang Shah to mediation before retired Supreme Court judge Justice A.S. Oka. Last year, real-estate brothers Abhishek Lodha and Abhinandan Lodha resolved their dispute over the “Lodha” brand through mediation before former Supreme Court judge Justice R.V. Raveendran.
Mediation does not always succeed. In 2022, attempts to settle the Kirloskar family feud through mediation eventually failed.
What makes mediation succeed or fail?
“The success of mediation depends on trust, timing, disclosure and authority to settle. The biggest challenge is mistrust,” said Rishabh Gandhi, founder of Rishabh Gandhi and Advocates. “The breakthrough moment in mediation is rarely legal. It is usually psychological.”
Emotional factors often make family disputes difficult to resolve, said Neeha Nagpal, managing partner at N&Company Legal. “Mediation, in my experience, is only successful in any kind of family dispute when both sides let go of their hurt egos.”
About the Authors
Krishna Yadav
Krishna Yadav is a Senior Correspondent at Mint, based in New Delhi, and part of the corporate bureau. He joined the newsroom as a trainee in 2023 and quickly grew into his current role. He writes on legal and regulatory developments in corporate India, with a focus on insolvency, taxation, company law, and policy. His reporting includes tracking and breaking key legal stories from the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, NCLT, and NCLAT.<br><br>With a background in law, Krishna is known for simplifying complex legal developments into clear, accessible stories for readers. His work focuses on trends in corporate law and policy that affect businesses. This ranges from explaining tax disputes—like whether coconut hair oil is edible—to writing on why celebrities are seeking personal rights protection. He closely tracks India’s insolvency system, covering issues such as creditor losses, gaps in the process, and challenges in how the framework works in practice.<br><br>Krishna also tracks developments within law firms—covering hiring trends, how firms help companies navigate global challenges, and how the legal industry is adapting to artificial intelligence. Beyond legal reporting, he has written long-form pieces, including on-ground coverage of the 2024 general elections, capturing the scale and logistics of polling across India.<br><br>Outside work, he enjoys travelling, exploring new places, and reading about geopolitics and history.
Yash Tiwari
Yash Tiwari is a Mumbai-based journalist who reports on corporate and regulatory developments, with a focus on court-driven policy shifts and the intersection of law and public policy. He has been in the profession for two years. Before joining Mint, he worked at NDTV Profit as an assistant producer on the TV desk while also reporting, gaining experience across television and print journalism and combining reporting with production expertise.<br><br> Born in Kolkata, a city he remains deeply connected to, Yash has a keen interest in the technicalities of Indian law and aims to decode complex legal developments in a clear and accessible manner for readers. He is a graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, where he completed his postgraduate diploma in journalism.<br><br> He closely follows politics and government policies, and has covered several state elections as a freelance journalist. His work is driven by the idea of making law less intimidating and more understandable for the general public.<br><br> When not at work, Yash can be found playing cricket, revisiting classic matches, or engaging in conversations about the evolving landscape of law and policy in India.
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