The Supreme Court has appointed a retired High Court judge as an arbitrator to facilitate settlement talks in a property dispute involving late actor Sridevi’s land on Chennai’s East Coast Road (ECR). The direction came in an appeal concerning ownership claims over the property.
According to the case records, Sridevi purchased about 2.7 acres on ECR in 1988 from the family of Sambandha Mudaliar, and her family has been in enjoyment of the property for nearly 37 years. After this period, M.C. Natarajan and M.C. Sivagami—stated to be heirs of Chandrasekaran, the son of Sambandha Mudaliar—filed a civil suit in the Chengalpattu Additional Sessions Court claiming rights over the land.
Boney Kapoor and daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor sought dismissal of that suit, but the Chengalpattu court declined, stating that ownership could be decided only after a full trial. The Kapoor family then appealed to the Madras High Court, arguing that the suit was aimed at grabbing the property using a fake legal-heir certificate. The High Court allowed their plea, set aside the Chengalpattu order and dismissed the suit.
Challenging the High Court’s decision, the plaintiffs moved the Supreme Court, where a bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Arun Palli is hearing the matter. During arguments, the plaintiffs contended that their father had a one-fifth share and that the sale was executed without his knowledge, seeking cancellation of the sale documents.
The Kapoor side argued that the claim was raised only in 2025 despite the purchase being in 1988, and that no case was filed even when the plaintiffs’ father was alive. They also disputed the plaintiffs’ legal-heir status and pointed to changes in survey numbers after partition. The bench, while not fully accepting the Kapoor side’s objections, urged both parties to explore a compromise and ordered arbitration; if no settlement is reached, notices will be issued for responses. The hearing was adjourned to December 18.
