Public interest in the education of Samaira Kapur has increased manifold after recent courtroom revelations that her university fees, reportedly around ₹ 95 lakh per semester, had not been paid for two months. As the legal battle over Sunjay Kapur’s estate rages on, attention has turned to the daughter of Karisma Kapoor studying in the United States, and how the family dispute affects her academic expenses abroad.
The matter cropped up before Justice Jyoti Singh at the Delhi High Court on Friday, as it was told to the bench by Karisma Kapoor’s children that the fees of Samaira were pending. While asking both the parties to be discreet, Justice Singh told Priya Kapur’s counsel not to make the case “melodramatic” and sort out private matters outside the court instead of repeatedly coming back to the court.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Samaira and her brother Kiaan, contended that a matrimonial decree had left the children’s education and living expenses in the care of Sunjay Kapur. He underscored the fact that the estate — now managed by Priya Kapur — had not paid Samaira’s dues. As per Samaira’s LinkedIn profile, she passed out from the American School of Bombay in 2023 and is currently pursuing her higher education in the US, whose programme is set to end in 2027. Her major is not stated, but reports have pegged her tuition at close to ₹95 lakh per semester. The university’s website quotes undergraduate fees as around USD 95,000 per year, making it one of the costliest universities in the country.
In the previous hearings, the counsel for Karisma had argued that the tuition fee of Samaira was not being paid by the estate managers. However, Priya Kapur rebutted the accusation and presented fee receipts before the court. She claimed all dues had been paid and the next instalment fell due in December.
This dispute over Samaira’s tuition is part of the broader legal challenge in which Samaira and her brother have questioned the authenticity of their father’s alleged will. The six-year-old son of Priya Kapur has filed his opposition to their plea through PTI. Priya, represented by senior advocate Akhil Sibal, contended that the challenge was based on “speculation and guesswork” as the children were present when the date, witnesses, and exclusion details of the will were read out.
Priya has previously told the court it is a “healthy tradition” for husbands to leave their assets to their wives, also dismissing allegations that the will emerged under suspicious circumstances.
