New Delhi, February 17 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday restrained the late industrialist Sunjay Kapur's wife, Priya S Kapur, and his sister, Mandhira Kapur Smith, from making statements against each other.
Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the order in response to a lawsuit filed by Priya Kapur against her sister-in-law, Mandhira Kapur Smith, alleging that she had been engaged in a continuous, malicious, and defamatory campaign through podcasts, interviews, social media posts, and public statements.
"Both parties are directed to exercise restraint in making statements about each other, directly or indirectly," the judge said.
The court also issued summons to Smith and podcast host Pooja Chaudhri in connection with the lawsuit and listed the matter for hearing in May.
The senior counsel representing Priya Kapur stated that her sister-in-law had uploaded and shared content on social media to damage her reputation.
Smith's lawyer, on the other hand, claimed that there was a "coordinated media campaign" against her.
In her lawsuit, Priya Kapur stated that shortly after Sunjay Kapur's death, his sister "embarked on a systematic and organized course of conduct" to malign and socially discredit her.
"The defamatory statements falsely impute dishonesty, moral impropriety, professional incompetence, concealment of assets, and illegitimate assumption of corporate control to the plaintiff," the lawsuit stated.
The defamatory content, the plea said, was deliberately published and amplified through the podcast ‘InControversial with Pooja Chaudhri’, which caused grave and continuing damage to Priya Kapur's reputation, dignity, privacy, and mental peace.
Priya Kapur sought a permanent injunction to prevent the defendants from publishing any content against her on any platform, and also demanded that all defamatory content be removed and deleted immediately.
In addition to seeking an unconditional public apology and retraction, she also sought damages of Rs 20 crore.
Sunjay Kapur passed away on June 12 last year after collapsing during a polo match in England. He reportedly suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Priya Kapur has also filed a criminal defamation case against Mandhira Smith before a trial court.
