A property linked to late actress Sridevi has become the centre of a fresh legal battle, nearly four decades after she acquired it in Chennai. The dispute concerns land on the East Coast Road in Sholinganallur, which has become highly valuable over the years and is now being reported to be worth around ₹500 crore. The property was purchased in 1988 and was later developed as a farmhouse used by Sridevi and her family.
The roots of the dispute go back to the original ownership of the land. Sridevi purchased the property from M.C. Sambanda Mudaliar through sale deeds executed in April 1988. According to the court record, Mudaliar had earlier divided his property interests among his children through a 1960 family arrangement. The present litigation concerns a 2.70-acre portion, while the sale deeds involving Sridevi, her mother and sister covered a larger extent.
The legal challenge has been brought by M.C. Sivakami, M.C. Natarajan and Chandrabhanu, who claim inheritance rights over the disputed land as members of Mudaliar’s family. They have sought to invalidate the 1988 sale deeds and subsequent documents, contending that the property could not have been sold in the manner claimed by Sridevi’s family. Boney Kapoor and his daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor have contested the claim. Their side has argued that the original transaction was legally completed in 1988 and questioned why the sale was being challenged decades later. They have also raised questions about the legal-heir claims put forward by the other side.
The Madras High Court had earlier dismissed the suit after Boney Kapoor and his daughters challenged the proceedings, with the court holding that the challenge to the old transactions was barred by limitation. The petitioners then approached the Supreme Court, arguing that they were minors when the property transaction took place and that the High Court had gone into issues concerning their legal status and the documents at a preliminary stage.
The Supreme Court has now issued notices to Boney Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor and ordered status quo on the property. The bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Arun Palli has also suggested mediation between the parties. Until the next hearing, there can be no transfer, construction or change in possession of the disputed property. The matter has been posted for December 18, when the court is expected to consider the progress of the mediation. The Supreme Court has not made any final determination on ownership at this stage.
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