SC suggests mediation to resolve Sridevi property dispute

The Supreme Court has suggested resolving a family property dispute involving the late actress Sridevi through mediation. The court indicated it would appoint a retired High Court judge as mediator to settle the disagreement over approximately 4.77 acres of land in the Sholinganallur area near East Coast Road in Chennai.

The land was purchased in 1988 through four separate sale deeds by Sridevi, her mother, and sister. Following Sridevi's death in 2018, revenue records were updated in 2023 to include her husband Boney Kapoor and daughters Janhvi and Khushi. A woman named M.C. Shivakammi, along with her brother and mother, challenged the 1988 sale as invalid, claiming descendant rights from an original 1943 purchaser and asserting a 1/5 share in the property.

The Madras High Court dismissed the lower court suit in May this year, ruling that challenging a 40-year-old transaction violated limitation laws and noting that the claimants had failed to produce supporting documentation including heir certificates.