The long-running legal dispute over a Chennai property linked to late actor Sridevi has reached the Supreme Court, bringing Boney Kapoor and daughters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor back into the legal spotlight. On September 16, a bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Arun Palli issued notice to the Kapoor family on a plea challenging a Madras High Court order that had rejected a civil suit filed by MC Sivakami and her brother MC Natarajan. The petitioners claim a share in a 2.7-acre parcel on Chennai’s East Coast Road, which was sold to Sridevi’s family in 1988.
The Supreme Court has directed that status quo be maintained on the property, including restrictions concerning transfer, construction and possession, until the next hearing. The bench has also encouraged the parties to explore mediation and indicated that a retired High Court judge could be appointed as mediator.
Sridevi Chennai Property Dispute: What Is The Case About?
The dispute dates back to a sale transaction executed on April 19, 1988. Sivakami and the other petitioners claim rights in the property and have challenged the sale deeds through which Sridevi and her family acquired the land. The petitioners’ case is that the trial court had found a prima facie cause of action and held that the suit could proceed. Their lawyers argued before the Supreme Court that the Madras High Court went into the merits of documents and questions surrounding legal heirship at a preliminary stage, effectively conducting what they described as a “mini-trial”.
Why Did The Madras High Court Reject The Suit?
The Kapoor family had challenged the continuation of the civil suit, arguing that the transaction dated back nearly four decades and that the claim was barred by limitation. In April 2026, the Madras High Court accepted the Kapoor family’s challenge and ordered rejection of the plaint. The court noted that the relevant sale deeds had existed since 1988 and questioned the claim that the petitioners became aware of them only in 2023. It also examined the petitioners’ claimed legal-heir status.
The Kapoor family’s counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, told the Supreme Court that a mutation application was made in 2023 following Sridevi’s death in 2018, while the suit was filed in 2025 to challenge the decades-old transaction.
Supreme Court Suggests Mediation, Next Hearing On December 18
During the hearing, the bench questioned the parties about MC Chandrasekaran’s share in the property and the petitioners’ claim that they were his children. Rather than allowing the dispute to continue solely through prolonged litigation, the Supreme Court suggested that both sides explore a settlement. The court is expected to appoint a retired High Court judge as mediator.
The matter has been listed for December 18, when the court will consider the progress of the mediation.