New Delhi, May 8 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud as mediator to facilitate a settlement in the high-stakes inheritance dispute within the family of late businessman Sunjay Kapur, after warring factions agreed to attempt a negotiated resolution before the top court. The court advised Kapur's family members not to make the dispute over the deceased's estate "a source of entertainment for others", observing that parties should not make it "more murky". A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan proposed the name of Justice Chandrachud after the senior counsel appearing for the parties conveyed their willingness to sit across the table and explore mediation. "The only thing required is a positive frame of mind.and an approach that 'we want to resolve it'." said the bench, making it clear that the mediation was presently confined to the petition filed by octogenarian Rani Kapur, seeking protection of the estate and a restraint on alleged interference with the assets of the Sona Group. Directing the parties not to make public statements or post about the family dispute on social media, the court further observed that parties should participate with an "open mind" and a positive spirit to avoid prolonged litigation. "This being a family affair, the endeavour on their part should be to resolve the dispute at the earliest and put an end to the entire matter.it will be in the interest of all if they are able to resolve the dispute before the learned mediator. Otherwise, it is going to be a long-drawn litigation," said the bench, adding it will await a preliminary mediation report, with the matter being listed for August. The development comes days after the Supreme Court nudged the parties to avoid a prolonged courtroom battle over the sprawling Sona Group-linked estate and instead resolve their differences amicably. The dispute centres around competing claims over control of family assets and interests linked to the Sona Group following the death of Sunjay Kapur, former chairperson of Sona Comstar, who died of cardiac arrest while playing polo in London on June 12, 2025. The proceedings before the apex court arise from a plea filed by Sunjay Kapur's mother, seeking protection of the family estate and restraint against alleged interference with assets linked to the group. She has challenged the creation and functioning of the Rani Kapur Family Trust, alleging that the trust structure divested her of control over substantial assets without her informed consent. The respondents in the case include Sunjay Kapur's widow Priya Sachdev Kapur, his sister Mandira Kapur Smith and other family members, including children from his earlier marriage with actor Karisma Kapoor. Senior counsel Shyam Divan and Vaibhav Gaggar appeared for Rani Kapur, while senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi represented Priya Kapur in the court on Thursday. During the earlier hearing on April 27, the bench had repeatedly emphasised that inheritance disputes involving large family estates and multiple stakeholders are better resolved through dialogue than adversarial litigation. "Why are you all fighting? This is not the age for your client to fight.go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z," the court had observed while urging the parties to consider settlement. The court had also made it clear that while it was prepared to adjudicate the matter on merits if necessary, it would first attempt to persuade the parties to settle the dispute peacefully and equitably....