India is home to some of the largest business empires built on legacy, trust, and family ties.. However, behind the glamour of boardrooms and deals worth billions, these empires have to deal with battles that are even more powerful than the market ones, the internal family wars that shake the very foundations and divide the fortunes.
Sunjay Kapur family drama
One of the most prominent and recent cases of business family feuds Sunjay Kapur and his family drama. After Sanjay’s sudden passing, emerged a dispute full of fire over his inheritance worth ₹30,000 crore rupees. The succession to the estate was supposed to be easy but it turned out to be a bitter fight when the entire personal estate was left to wife Priya Sachdev Kapur as per the contested will.
The deceased’s mother, Rani Kapur,claims she was coerced into giving up her and her daughter’s stake in the estate while the ex-wife, Karisma Kapoor, together with their children, accuse Priya of producing a forged will.
The family fight is embroiled in court documents and an example of how the strongest trusts can crumble when money and power are involved.
Singhania vs Singhania
Indian industrialist and philanthropist, Vijaypat Singhania, the father, after handing over the reins to his son Gautam, gave up his 37% stake. However, father-son relations deteriorated to the point that Vijaypat accused Gautam of forcing him to leave the company's properties.
Their fight, which has been going on for a while, has affected Raymond's image and has become visible, thereby revealing the problems that lie deep in one of India’s oldest textile dynasties.
Kalyani family rift
Kalyani industrial empire, valued at over ₹1 lakh crore, has had no shortage of lawsuits. Baba Kalyani and his sister Sugandha Hiremath are embroiled in a legal battle which concerns mainly the ownership of pharma giant Hikal Ltd.
This legal confrontation has led to a standstill in critical assets and poses a danger of the Kalyani family being split, which have been a significant and respected industrial house of India.
Modi family showdown
In the Godfrey Phillips tobacco-to-tea conglomerate, a family feud over an inheritance worth ₹11,000-crore has seen Bina Modi, the matriarch, pitted against sons Lalit and Samir. The latter allege a trust deed to have guaranteed their shares, thereby accusing Bina of going against their late father's KK Modi's wishes.
Dividing or selling the core assets is something Bina is not willing to do, which is why the standoff is still ongoing.
Oberoi family feud
After PRS Oberoi’s demise, the Oberoi hotels empire worth over ₹24,000 crore was caught up in an upheaval. Anastasia Oberoi, the daughter from a second-marriage, avers her entitlement under a more recent will and is in opposition to the step-siblings and cousins.
Their argument at present is in the High Court; shedding light on the complexities of blended families and inheritance.
Such situations reveal that even in India’s most affluent families, which are sometimes referred to as the richest, loyalty only gets tested by power and money.
The turbulent environment of business dynasties serves as a warning to that class of businesses worldwide, legacy comes with both riches and scars.
