New Delhi: As the legal battle over late industrialist Sanjay Kapoor’s estate begins, details of actor Karisma Kapoor’s 2016 divorce petition have once again come into focus, resurfacing allegations of domestic abuse and emotional cruelty during their marriage.
During the divorce proceedings, Karishma had filed an application under domestic violence laws before the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate, in which she had outlined repeated instances of physical, emotional and psychological abuse.
According to the Times of India report, Karishma spoke about a number of incidents which she claims demonstrate a pattern of abuse.
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One such incident cited by NDTV is from July 2010, when the couple planned a trip to the United Kingdom in an attempt to reconcile. The trip was reportedly canceled after his four-month-old son fell ill. Karishma claimed that Sanjay got upset and decided to go ahead with their travel plans regardless.
“He decided to go to a polo match with Prince William, leaving me behind to care for our sick four-month-old son,” she alleged in her petition.
She further said that when she later joined him in the UK, Sanjay would often stay out late and return only when she woke up to feed their son early in the morning.
In her filing, Karishma also recalled the events before her marriage. She alleged that Sanjay’s father had once made her mother cry, causing her to consider breaking off the marriage.
“I immediately felt that if his family can treat a woman like this even before marriage, they can do anything in the future. I decided to cancel the marriage, but later I was deceived by Sanjay and his family that this incident was a one-time incident.”
Karishma further alleged that she was humiliated shortly before they left on their honeymoon, claiming that Sanjay had told her that he was “settlement with his brother-in-law” about how much he would be worth in terms of his personal property.
She also accused Sanjay of instigating verbal abuse after her pregnancy. According to her petition, when she was unable to fit into the dress chosen by her mother-in-law, Sanjay allegedly told her mother, “Why don’t you slap her,” adding that her mother did not object.
The actor also alleged that Sanjay married her for professional identity instead of living together.
“I realized that he married me because I was a famous and successful film star, which would help him gain publicity and social prestige. The plan was to showcase me as a trophy wife in the elite social circles of Delhi,” her petition said.
Divorce and after
Karisma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor married in 2003 and have two children, Samaira and Kiyan. Sanjay filed for divorce in December 2015 on the grounds of cruelty and the marriage was legally ended in 2016.
Before marrying Karisma, Sanjay Kapoor was married to fashion designer Nandita Mahtani. After the divorce, he married entrepreneur Priya Sachdev, with whom he has a son, Azarius. Priya also has a daughter, Safira, from her previous marriage to hotelier Vikram Chatwal.
Sanjay Kapoor died of a heart attack while playing polo in London on June 12, 2025. His last rites were performed on 19 June at the Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi.