Sisters Win Legal Battle
The Kapoor sisters, Janhvi and Khushi, have emerged victorious in a protracted legal dispute concerning a property in Chennai that belonged to their late
mother, the iconic actress Sridevi. This significant win comes after a civil suit was filed, challenging the ownership of the land purchased in Sridevi's name back in 1988. The Madras High Court has now dismissed the suit, providing immense relief to the family, including producer Boney Kapoor. The original case involved a challenge to the sale deeds executed years ago, with plaintiffs claiming heirship and questioning the validity of the original title. However, the High Court's intervention has definitively settled the matter in favor of Janhvi and Khushi, upholding their rights to their mother's estate.
Dispute Over Land Parcel
The core of the legal contention revolved around a substantial 2.70-acre land parcel situated in Sholinganallur, Chennai. The plaintiffs in the case asserted their claim as legal heirs to a certain MC Chandrasekaran and sought a partition of the property. A central point of their argument was the challenge to the sale deeds that were finalized in 1988, transferring ownership to Sridevi, her mother, and sister. The plaintiffs alleged that the sellers involved in these transactions purportedly lacked a valid title to the land. Their narrative suggested that the land originally belonged to MC Sambanda Mudaliar, who had acquired extensive land in the area in 1943. Curiously, the plaintiffs stated they only became aware of the alleged fraudulent dealings in 2023, long after the property had been registered in the Kapoor family's name.
Court Dismisses Claims
Producer Boney Kapoor and his daughters, Janhvi and Khushi, approached the Madras High Court seeking the dismissal of the civil suit, citing Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Their argument centered on the fact that the plaintiffs were not recognized as Class I legal heirs of MC Chandrasekaran. Furthermore, they highlighted that Chandrasekaran himself had never contested the 1988 sale deeds during his lifetime. This was particularly pertinent as Chandrasekaran passed away in 1995, yet the suit was only initiated in 2025, a considerable delay. The High Court concurred with the Kapoors' stance, observing that the suit was filed nearly four decades after the sale deeds were executed, rendering it time-barred by the laws of limitation. The court also pointed out inconsistencies in the plaintiffs' claims, such as failing to mention that Chandrasekaran's first wife was alive at the time of his death and that the legal heir certificate they relied upon had been previously cancelled.
'Unbelievable' and 'Vexatious'
The Madras High Court did not mince words in its assessment of the plaintiffs' case, deeming their claim of only becoming aware of the property transaction in 2023 as "totally unbelievable." The court stated unequivocally that such a claim lacked legal grounding. It further emphasized that after Sridevi's passing, the property rightfully and legally passed to Boney Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, and Khushi Kapoor. Justice T V Thamilselvi, who presided over the case, characterized the lawsuit as a "vexatious" attempt to unlawfully seize the property, and an abuse of the legal process. The court concluded by allowing the civil revision petition filed by the Kapoors, effectively overturning the Chengalpattu court's earlier decision and rejecting the plaint entirely. This judgment firmly establishes the Kapoor sisters' ownership of Sridevi's Chennai property.
