Supreme Court suggests mediation in Sridevi land dispute

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Boney Kapoor and his daughters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor to attempt mediation to resolve a dispute over a Chennai land parcel once owned by the late actress Sridevi. A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and Arun Palli said it would appoint a retired high court judge as mediator and posted the next hearing for December 18.

The dispute involves 2.7 to 4.77 acres of land in Sholinganallur, purchased by Sridevi in 1988 through a sale deed. After her death in 2018, Kapoor transferred the property to himself and his daughters. Three claimants, MC Sivakami, MC Natarajan and their mother Chandrabhanu, challenged the sale deed in a Chennai court in January 2025, asserting they were legal heirs of MC Chandrasekaran, who originally possessed the land.

The Madras High Court rejected the suit in April-May 2026, ruling it was time-barred since it was filed nearly 40 years after the 1988 sale. The claimants appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the High Court conducted a mini-trial and that their claim should have proceeded. The court has directed status quo on the property until the next hearing.