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The long-running and deeply personal legal battle following the death of businessman Sanjay Kapur has taken a sharper turn. On Saturday his widow Priya Kapur filed a criminal defamation case against his sister Mandhira Kapur Smith accusing her of damaging her reputation through repeated social media posts and videos. According to a report by Bar and Bench Priya alleged that Mandhira uploaded and circulated content on platforms such as YouTube Instagram and X where she named Priya directly and made what the complaint describes as “false allegations designed to cause hatred ridicule and social ostracism; thereby demolishing the reputation of the complainant.” The complaint also points to a podcast in which Mandhira allegedly suggested that Priya’s marriage to Sanjay was troubled and lacked legitimacy a claim Priya has strongly objected to. What is Mandhira Kapur Smith saying? When HT City reached out to Mandhira for her response she firmly denied all allegations. “All of what I said is mentioned in court. How am I defaming? Anything I have lied about let me know because I can guarantee I’ve lied about nothing” she said. Mandhira also claimed she first heard about the defamation case through social media. “The funny thing is the media got it before me! These are all tactics to distract me from what is going on” she added stating that she has yet to receive any official notice. Why is the family in court? The defamation case is unfolding alongside a much larger and bitter dispute over Sanjay Kapur’s estimated Rs 30000 crore estate. Members of Sanjay’s family including his mother Rani his ex-wife Karisma Kapoor and their children are locked in a legal battle with Priya over ownership and inheritance. Mandhira says the situation has taken an emotional toll on her mother. “I sit with my mother every day and she says ‘get everything back your father (Surinder Kapoor) and I built this’ It’s horrible what our family is going through” she shared. “There’s nothing I can do if Priya is upset. I don’t blame her for being upset but it is the truth.” Why speak up now? When asked why she chose to speak publicly only after Sanjay died in 2025 Mandhira brushed aside suggestions of vested interests. “Let them say what they want to” she said. “We are going to fight for what is my mother’s first while she is alive. Everything was meant to be in her name and that’s what my dad wanted.” Where does Karisma Kapoor stand? Mandhira revealed that she remains in close contact with Karisma Kapoor and her children Samaaira and Kiaan. “The kids have lost their best friend. My mother lost her son” she said adding that the dispute is not just about money but also about preserving her father’s legacy. Priya Kapur was contacted for a response but there was no reply at the time this story went live.