Shareholders of auto components maker Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd (Sona Comstar) have approved the appointment of Priya Sachdev Kapur, wife of late chairman Sunjay Kapur, as a non-executive director on the company’s board.
The approval came during the annual general meeting (AGM) held on July 25, with the company stating in a regulatory filing that Priya was appointed as an additional director in the capacity of non-executive director with effect from June 23, 2025.
The development comes amid internal tensions within the Kapur family over the company’s board control following the death of Sunjay Kapur. The former chairman passed away in London on June 12 while playing polo. In the aftermath, the board had appointed Jeffery Mark Overly as chairman on June 23.
Sunjay’s mother and former Sona group chairperson Rani Kapur has raised objections. In a letter dated July 24 addressed to the board, she alleged that “while the family mourned the death of Sunjay last month, some people chose this as an opportune time to wrest control and usurp the family legacy.”
She further expressed suspicions regarding the circumstances of her son’s death, calling it “highly suspicious amid unexplained circumstances,” and insisted that she had not nominated or consented to anyone representing the family on the board.
“I have been informed by well-wishers that an AGM of shareholders has been held, wherein one of the items is the passing of a resolution to appoint certain directors in the company as representatives of the Kapur family,” she wrote, urging the board to postpone the meeting by at least two weeks.
Rani Kapur also claimed that, according to a ‘Will’ dated June 30, 2015, she is the beneficiary of her late husband Surinder Kapur’s estate, making her the majority shareholder of the Sona group.
Sona Comstar maintained that the AGM was conducted in full regulatory compliance. The company stated that it received the postponement request from Rani Kapur late on July 24 and sought urgent legal advice. Based on the advice and the fact that Rani Kapur is not listed as a shareholder, the board concluded it could not defer the AGM.