Rani Kapur breaks silence: A mother’s plea for truth and legacy after son Sunjay’s death

New Delhi: Rani Kapur–former Chairperson of Sona Comstar and mother of the late Sunjay Kapur has spoken publicly for the first time since her son’s untimely death in London. Her message carried the weight of grief, longing, and a steadfast resolve to protect the legacy she helped build alongside her late husband. “I still don’t know what happened to my son,” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow. “I’m old now. I need closure before I go,” Rani Kapur said in video interview with ANI.

Though frail with age, Rani Kapur’s memories remain vivid and purposeful. “I remember the early days of Sona–built with care, sacrifice, and love,” she shared, underscoring her enduring emotional connection to the company’s roots. She spoke with clarity and conviction about her role in shaping the business, standing alongside her husband as they laid its foundation. Her statement follows Sona Comstar’s official stance that Rani Kapur has not held any direct or indirect involvement in the company since 2019. Yet her words suggest otherwise–a quiet but determined challenge to that narrative, and a call to preserve her family’s vision and legacy. “I am here to remind the world that our family’s legacy must not be lost. It must be passed on, as my husband always wanted it to be.” Citing her declining health, Kapur stated that she would not make further public comments. “Given my health and my age, I will not be making any further comments. My legal team will address everything necessary.” Her tone, dignified yet resolute, signaled that the next steps would be handled formally and decisively.

The controversy took another turn when Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd (Sona Comstar) issued a detailed response to Rani Kapur’s claims. The company called her allegations “baseless” and “legally untenable,” asserting in a statement to the BSE that she has no standing in its affairs. Prior to her public statement, Rani Kapur had addressed a letter to the board alleging that she was coerced into signing documents behind locked doors shortly after her son’s death, which she described as “highly suspicious.” She also claimed she had been denied access to her accounts and left dependent on a few individuals for basic survival. According to her, no one had been authorized to represent the Kapur family on the company’s board. She had called for the postponement of the Annual General Meeting, which ultimately proceeded as scheduled. Sona BLW Precision Forgings has issued a fresh statement on July 28 amid a tussle over family representation on the board, clarifying that Rani Kapur, mother of late Sunjay Kapur, has ‘no locus standi’ on any matter related to the company, denying any assertion of the firm being a family-run business as ‘factually incorrect and misleading’.

The company said that Rani Kapur who wrote to the company through her legal representative stating seeking deferral of the board meeting on July 25, is neither a shareholder nor an official of the company, and her consent is not legally needed to run the business. “Mrs. Rani Kapur has had no role, direct or indirect, in Sona Comstar since at least 2019. She is neither a shareholder, director, nor officer of the Company. As such, she has no locus standi on any matter related to the Company. Any insinuation that she was coerced into signing documents or that her consent is required for Company affairs is completely baseless and legally untenable,” the statement said. “The current board of 9 members include two executive directors — both seasoned professionals with no affiliation to the Kapur family — and six independent directors with exemplary reputations and distinguished careers. The promoter entity holds no executive roles and has no involvement in day-to-day management or strategic control of the Company,” the statement read. Sona BLW reiterated that the company has 71.98% shareholding with institutional and public investors, and is not a family-run business. “The promoter entity holds a stake of 28.02% and exercises no special rights or control. The assertion that the Company is a family-run business is factually incorrect and misleading.”

After the untimely demise of Sunjay Kapur, the board had re-appointed industry veteran Jeffrey Mark Overly as an Independent director for a second term, and later, Priya Sachdev Kapur as a Non-Executive director on the board. The decisions were ‘fully compliant’ with all laws and corporate governance norms, said the company. “Their appointments were ratified by an overwhelming majority of shareholders — 98.9% and 99.4% respectively — clearly reflecting broad investor confidence,” the statement added Pointing at the “continued dissemination” of false narratives for “personal legal agendas”, Sona BLW said shareholder’ value is being eroded. “With over 400,000 public shareholders, such actions are not only reckless but deeply harmful to the interests of the company.” On July 25, Rani Kapur had raised strong objections to the AGM being held at a time of mourning for the family, and amid the “suspicious” and sudden death of her son. Sunjay Kapur had passed away at the age of 53 on June 12 after suffering a heart attack in UK. The incident occurred while he was playing polo. In her letter to the board, Rani Kapur had said that she is the sole beneficiary of her late husband Surinder Kapur’s estate, and the majority shareholder of the Sona Group including Sona Comstar.