Hindu Succession Act, 1956

The case concerned the grant of probate of a 1999 will of Smt. Priyamvada Devi Birla (PDB) and earlier 1982 mutual wills executed by her and her husband. Several members of the Birla family filed caveats claiming a "caveatable interest" in the estate, while Rajendra Singh Lodha (RSL) sought probate and the discharge of…

Kehar Singh's widow Kirpo inherited land in Pakistan and, after partition, was allotted suit land in India. Upon Kirpo's death, her daughters Santi and Indro possessed the land, which later fell under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. After Santi's death, Indro obtained mutation of the entire land and sold it to the appe…

The case concerned land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act that had been mutated in the name of Damoder Mahto. After Damoder's death, his widow Koleshra Devi (Kaulashwari) possessed a share of the land in lieu of maintenance. She executed a deed of gift on 7 May 1960 in favour of the appellants, heirs of Ram Layak…

The appellants filed a partition suit based on three sale deeds executed by Rosammal and Mariammal in their favour. The respondents challenged the deeds, arguing that the vendors' mother, Kochammal, could not inherit her son Kumaraswami's share because she was allegedly a Christian, rendering the deeds invalid. The tri…

The appellants, sisters, filed a suit for partition and separate possession of their share in ancestral joint family property, alleging they were in joint possession. They paid court fee under Section 37(2) of the Tamil Nadu Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act. The trial court directed them to pay fee under Section 37(1…

Santi, after being widowed twice, held the estate of her second husband Ditto as a life‑estate and executed a gift deed in 1955 in favour of her granddaughter Mohindero, the daughter of her illegitimate son Buta. The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force on 17 June 1956 and Santi died intestate on 6 October 1956. …

The case concerned property bequeathed by Somasundram Pillai in 1950 to his wife Sellathachi and his cousin's widow Janakathachi as maintenance. After the testator's death the widows possessed the land, but a power of attorney later alienated it, prompting a suit to declare the alienations illegal. The question before …

The case concerned the devolution of a Mitakshara coparcenary property after the death of Babu Ram in 1989, who left two sons (born 1938 and 1956) and three daughters. The trial court held part of the property to be separate and part ancestral; the appellate courts affirmed, while the High Court held that the pre‑1956 …

Pentakota Srirammurthy executed a registered will in 1980 bequeathing a portion of his self‑acquired property to his first wife, Seetharatnam, and the remainder to his children by his second wife, Alla Kantamma. After his death, Seetharatnam and Krishna Bhagavan (who claimed to be an adopted son) filed suits seeking ma…

The father of a divorced woman filed an FIR in 2021 alleging that his former in‑laws had retained the gold ornaments he had given as stridhan at his daughter's 1999 marriage. The daughter had divorced in 2015, remarried in 2018, and a separation agreement had already settled all marital property. The High Court refused…

The case concerned a partition deed dated 31‑January‑1970 in which a Hindu undivided family allotted agricultural land to two minor daughters of Vithaldas Jagannath Khatri. The State of Maharashtra challenged the exclusion of that land from the surplus‑land calculation under the Maharashtra Agricultural Lands (Ceiling …

M. V. Chandrakanth (appellant) challenged a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court that had set aside a Single Judge's order dismissing a writ petition filed by Respondent No.1, who claimed Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation as a member of the Ganiga caste. The central issue was whether a person belonging to th…

K. Doddananjundaiah, a coparcener, had three daughters by his first wife and a son Dinesh by a second wife Yashodamma. After K's death, the daughters (appellants) claimed a one‑third share of the partitioned property, contending that the second marriage was void and that Dinesh, born after the Hindu Succession Act 1956…

The case involved a partition suit concerning the ancestral and self‑acquired properties of the late Kumar Sahoo, claimed by his daughter Charulata Sahu and contested by the heirs of his son Prafulla Sahoo. The trial court issued a preliminary decree allocating a one‑sixth share to the daughter in ancestral lands and o…

In a suit for perpetual injunction, the appellants sought to restrain Smt. Venkata Subbamma (deceased) from alienating property granted to her under a 1969 compromise decree in a partition suit. After her death, the respondents, as legal representatives, claimed that Subbamma had executed a will in their favour, but th…

Pedda Chennaiah executed a will in 1947 bequeathing all his properties to his wife Laxmamma with a life‑interest and reserving the remainder to the sons of his wife's sister. After the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force, the Court held that Laxmamma's limited right matured into an absolute ownership under Secti…

The appellant, a member of the Travancore royal family, filed a suit seeking partition and accounting of certain properties, claiming they were part of an undivided Marumakkathayam tarwad. The respondent, the former Maharaja of Travancore, contended that the properties were his personal assets retained after surrenderi…

The case concerned two joint family properties in Himachal Pradesh where the widow Jamni inherited her husband Hari Ram's one‑third share. Through a family arrangement she relinquished her share in one parcel (Chak Kaljer) and received the brothers‑in‑law's shares in the other parcel (Chak Nani), thereby becoming the a…

The testator, Raja Sardar Singh, died in 1987 without apparent legal heirs and had executed a will bequeathing his assets to the Khetri Trust. The Trust sought probate, which was dismissed by the Delhi High Court, while agnates also objected. The Rajasthan Collector, after an inquiry, initiated escheat proceedings unde…

The case concerned a family governed by the Madras Aliyasantana Act who filed a suit for partition of a Kutumba. Defendants 22, 23 and 24, all male Nissanthathi Kavarus, were allotted a joint share of the property. After the deaths of defendants 23 and 24, their representatives claimed a one‑third share of the joint al…

The appellant, a Class II heir of an unmarried, issueless deceased, filed a partition suit seeking his one-fifth share of the estate valued at Rs. 2,98,79,569. The trial judge allotted a house (Item No.6) worth Rs. 1,50,00,000 to the appellant, exceeding his share of Rs. 59,75,914, and ordered the excess Rs. 90,24,086 …

The appellant's wife, Smt. Kaushalya Devi, inherited a two-fifths share in two khatas from her father in 1944 and became a co‑bhumidar under the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950. She died in 1953, before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force. The appellant claimed the share as his entitlemen…

The case concerned agricultural land in Karnataka where the original tenant, Gutya, executed a Will bequeathing his tenancy rights to his brother Timma. After Gutya's death, Timma cultivated the land and later applied for occupancy rights under Section 48‑A of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961. The High Court reject…

The appellant, Banarsi Dass, objected to the grant of a succession certificate to Mrs. Teeku Dutta, alleging she was not the deceased's daughter. He moved an application under Order 151 CPC for a DNA test to establish paternity, which the trial court allowed. The Delhi High Court set aside that order, holding that the …

The appeal arose from a suit filed in 1988 by the great‑grandson and great‑granddaughter of Perumal Naidu (plaintiffs) seeking declaration and possession of properties that had been bequeathed by their great‑grandmother Alamelu Ammal to her sister Ramanujatha Ammal (defendant). The plaintiffs claimed that Alamelu held …

The case concerned the entitlement to family pension and death‑cum‑retirement gratuity of a deceased government employee who had two wives. The first wife, Rameshwari Devi, claimed the benefits for herself and her son, while the second wife, Yogmaya Devi, claimed benefits for herself and her four sons, asserting a vali…

Bhaiya Rudra Pratap Deo, holder of the impartible Nagaruntari estate, executed an unregistered maintenance (khorposh) deed in 1952 granting eight villages to his brother’s son, Lalu Maheshanuj. The plaintiff alleged fraud and that the deed was void under Section 12A of the Chota Nagpur Encumbered Estates Act and the Bi…

The landlords obtained eviction decrees against the legal representatives of original tenants under the Delhi Rent Control Act. Two heirs, who were not joined as parties, challenged the execution of those decrees, asserting independent tenancy rights. The Supreme Court examined whether unjoined heirs are bound by a dec…

The appellant, V. Muthusami (deceased), sued for specific performance of a sale agreement concerning a suit land, asserting that Angammal, a widow, had full ownership of the land. The court examined whether Angammal possessed a pre‑existing right of maintenance under Hindu law, which would give her legal possession of …

Durga Prasad Bagla executed a 1917 Will bequeathing all his estate to his third wife, Mst. Durgi, using the term "puree malik" indicating absolute ownership. After Durga's death, Durgi adopted Kanhaiya Lal, whose later suit sought possession of the property and declared Durgi's subsequent Will and settlement deed in fa…

Bai Lachhmu, the daughter of Bali Ram, filed a suit to enforce her half‑share in agricultural lands under her father's will against her step‑mother Bai Utti. The parties compromised in 1947, whereby Utti acknowledged Lachhmu's title and was allowed to retain possession of the disputed half during her lifetime, with the…

The son of the deceased Karta filed a suit for partition of twelve properties, alleging that the Karta had illegally gifted two ancestral items to his second wife and four coparcenary items to his unmarried daughter. The trial court and the first appellate court held the gifts void for lack of consent and because a cop…

Vyankat, the sole surviving coparcener of a Hindu joint family, died on 8 February 1978. Four months later his widow Krishnabai adopted Dattatraya. The plaintiffs, Vyankat's children, sued for partition claiming their statutory shares, while the defendants argued that the adopted son was also entitled to a share. The t…

The case concerned the self‑acquired property of Sengalani Chettiar, who had two marriages. His son Chandran (the father of the appellants) executed a release deed in 1975, relinquishing any claim to the property in return for valuable consideration, and stating he would have no further connection except blood relation…

The case arose from a partition suit filed by the deceased Lajesh Saxena seeking a share in the joint Hindu family property. The trial court allotted shares, which the High Court altered by increasing the daughter’s share to one‑eighth and rejecting the validity of three wills under Section 68 of the Evidence Act. The …

The case concerned the estate of the late R. Rosaiah, whose widow Lakshmamma (L) had been granted a life interest in his properties under a compromise decree. L later remarried in 1953 and attempted to adopt a boy as the heir of her first husband, which the trial court rejected. The principal questions were whether L's…

The suit concerned a house inherited by the late K. Basavaraja Urs and his son K.B. Ramchandra Raj Urs (defendant No.1). Plaintiffs Sarah C. Urs and P. Chandrakantaraj Urs entered into an agreement to purchase the property on 24 April 1979, with the late father acting through his son as power of attorney. Rs.1,00,000 w…

The father of the appellant executed a 1935 will granting his house to the respondent after the death of his wife, Bhagwati Bai, who was given a life interest in lieu of maintenance. In 1962 Bhagwati Bai executed a gift deed transferring the house to her daughter, the appellant. The respondent sued to declare the gift …

The Supreme Court dismissed three public‑interest writ petitions that sought to declare various provisions of Muslim, Hindu and Christian personal laws unconstitutional. The petitioners argued that polygamy, unilateral talaq, and discriminatory inheritance rules violated Articles 13, 14 and 15 of the Constitution. The …

The respondents, co‑owners of land sold by a widow who possessed only a limited estate, filed a suit under Section 15(1)(b) of the Punjab Pre‑emption Act, 1913 seeking pre‑emption of the sale. The trial court decreed in their favour and the decree was upheld on appeal, but the second appeal was dismissed. While these p…

Padmanabha Chettiar executed a will in 1924 granting his property to himself for life, then to his wife Dhanalakshmi Ammal for life, thereafter to his daughter Rajalakshmi Ammal, and finally to her male children. The question before the Supreme Court was whether the daughter obtained an absolute estate or merely a life…

The Supreme Court examined three related suits in which widows held life estates in property under wills or settlement deeds. The core question was whether, under Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, such a limited estate automatically became an absolute estate, or whether Section 14(2) – which preserves a …

The testator's 1948 will granted his two wives equal life interests in the estate, stipulating that the survivor would enjoy the whole property and that after both wives' deaths the daughter would have a life interest followed by her children in fee simple. After the second wife died in 1967, the Tamil Nadu Land Reform…

The father of the parties, a self‑acquired owner of a house and a shop, decided to divide his property on 25‑Oct‑1992 but died on 10‑Sep‑1993. The surviving brothers recorded a memorandum of settlement on 9‑Sep‑1994, signed by their mother and sisters, allocating the entire property between them. The plaintiff sued for…

The case concerned a dispute over joint and self‑acquired properties of step‑brothers Bapurao and Shivappa. In 1955 four registered deeds – a partition deed, a sale deed and two settlement deeds – were executed, allegedly to protect Bapurao’s assets from creditors. After Shivappa’s death, the heirs of Shivappa sued Vis…

Jamuna Prasad executed a Will in 1956 bequeathing his entire movable and immovable property, including Bhumadhari land, to his second wife Sona Devi with a right of alienation, and thereafter to the nine sons of his daughters from both wives. After the deaths of Jamuna Prasad (1961) and Sona Devi (1964), the plaintiffs…

The case concerned the devolution of property governed by Marumakkathayam law in a Kerala joint family. The dispute arose over two sets of scheduled properties: one acquired through a 1950 partition deed and the other through a mortgage deed after the death of a male member. The key questions were whether a female’s sh…

The dispute concerned a house originally owned by Shri Kashirao Deshmukh, who died leaving his wife Smt. Shevantabai. The wife executed a gift deed in 1981 transferring the property to the appellant. The defendants produced a 1976 Will of the deceased, claiming it gave the wife only a life estate, rendering the gift de…

The appellant, Radha Bai, claimed a half‑share in a piece of land that was originally part of the ancestral property of her great‑grandfather Sukhdeo. After Sukhdeo's death in 1965, his two sons Janakram and Pilaram partitioned the land in 1967, giving Janakram the exclusive share, which he later sold to his grandsons …

The CBI appealed against the Delhi High Court’s order quashing a Special Judge’s grant of pardon to respondent No.2 (Abhishek Verma) under Section 306 of the CrPC, who had confessed to forging a fax message on the instructions of respondent No.1 (Ashok Kumar Aggarwal). The Supreme Court examined the scope of the court’…

Ratan Singh, a Bhoomidar, died leaving 41.49 acres of agricultural land. Under the Madhya Pradesh Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act, 1960, the Sub‑Divisional Officer limited the widow's share to 10.38 acres and declared the remainder surplus. The major daughters (appellants) filed a civil suit claiming inheritance u…

Rani Devi, the landlady, filed a suit under section 21 of the U.P. Urban Building (Regulation of letting, rent and eviction) Act, 1972 seeking eviction of the occupants, Bhole Nath and others, on the ground of a bona‑fide requirement to start a business for her son. The original tenant, Lalu, died in 1965 and his heirs…

The Kutchi Lal Rameshwarsram Trust and Anna Kshetra Trust claimed ownership of land in Haridwar, asserting that it had been held by the trust for over forty‑five years based on a will and a declaration by the original purchaser, Mohan Lal. The Collector, Haridwar, on a complaint that Mohan Lal had died without heirs, i…

The suit concerned a schedule property inherited by the mother (P) after her husband's death. After P's death, her daughter I possessed the property, but upon I's death, Defendant No.1 (a relative of P) took possession and claimed ownership based on a Will dated 18‑June‑1974 allegedly executed by P in favour of I. The …

The predecessor of the appellant filed a suit on 21 May 1990 for declaration of title, possession and setting aside a sale deed. During the pendency, two further sale deeds were executed, and an interim order of status quo was granted. Thirteen years later, on 11 June 2003, the appellant sought to amend the plaint to c…

Jagat Ram, son of Manshan, claimed possession of land that had been subject to a 1945 compromise granting life interest to Kirpi, widow of Sunder, and thereafter to Manshan. Kirpi later adopted Varinder Prakash and gifted the land to him. After Kirpi's death in 1967, Manshan filed a suit for possession in 1982. The tri…

The appellant, Sau. Saraswati Bai Trimabak Gaikwad, cultivated land that she had leased from Tarabai, who held a limited right to possess the land under a 1927 settlement deed. Although a consent decree had earlier restrained Tarabai from leasing the land, the appellant filed an application under Section 32‑O of the Bo…

The case concerned a consent decree dated 19‑08‑1991 that confirmed a family settlement whereby Smt. Jagno, a Hindu widow, transferred her half‑share in agricultural land to her nephews. The appellants challenged the decree on two grounds: (i) that the decree should have been registered under Section 17 of the Indian R…

The appellant, Varadarajan, sought to execute a decree in favour of the deceased decree‑holder Umadevi by filing an application as her legal representative under a Will. The Executing Court allowed the application, but the High Court, in revision under Section 115 of the CPC, set aside that order on the ground that the…

The plaintiff, son of Ramamurty, claimed ownership of certain properties after the death of Veeraraju's widow, who had been granted a life interest under a 1937 Deed of Settlement that provided for reversion to Ramamurty or his heirs. The widow later executed a will bequeathing the properties to her brother, the appell…

The appeal concerned a Mitakshara coparcenary property that the appellants claimed had become self‑acquired after a lease (patta) was allegedly granted by the village Zamindar under the Oudh Rent Act, 1886. The respondents contended that the land remained ancestral joint‑family property and that any lease did not dives…

The case concerned a Hindu widow who had inherited a limited estate from her deceased husband before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and had transferred the property to an alienee. After the Act came into force, the alienee reconveyed the property to her, restoring her possession. The appellant argued that the widow cou…

The case arose from a consent decree dated 20 July 1964 that allotted 6 acres 33 guntas of land to Sundrabai, the first wife of the deceased Trimukhrao, for her maintenance, with a restriction that the land would revert to the second wife and her son after Sundrabai's death. After Sundrabai died in 1992, her heirs clai…

The appellants were contesting alienations of immovable property under the Punjab Custom (Power to Contest) Act, 1920, and their suits were at the appellate stage when the Punjab Custom (Power to Contest) Amendment Act, 1973 came into force on 23 January 1973. The High Court dismissed the appeals, holding that after th…

The appellants, the widow and daughter of Ishwar Singh, challenged the validity of Section 50(a) of the Delhi Land Reforms Act, 1954, claiming it violated Articles 14, 15, 21 and was repugnant to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 after the latter's Section 4(2) was deleted by the 2005 amendment. The Supreme Court held tha…

The suit involved a self‑acquired, intestate property of the deceased Pemmada Venkateswara Rao, which devolved equally among his wife, three sons and three daughters under the Hindu Succession Act. The plaintiffs sought specific performance of a sale agreement that was executed only by two of the six co‑heirs, who did …

Shyamal Sengupta, a bank employee, died intestate leaving his widow Shipra Sengupta, his mother Niharbala Sengupta and his brothers as survivors. He had earlier nominated his mother as the nominee for his provident fund accounts. The widow claimed a share of the provident fund, arguing that the nomination was void afte…

The father of the parties died in 1948, leaving a daughter who was born ten days later. The mother subsequently adopted a son in 1949. The daughter filed a suit for partition of the family property, claiming a share as a coparcener under the pre‑1956 Hindu law. The High Court, applying the doctrine of relation‑back, he…

The appellant, Gulwant Kaur, was estranged from her husband Major General Gurbux Singh, who in a 1958 letter entrusted her with a parcel of land and a house as maintenance, promising a monthly allowance. The husband later sold the land to the respondent, Mohinder Singh, who sought an injunction against Kaur. The lower …

Dr. Hira Singh's 1944 will granted his daughter Shivdev Kaur a life interest in a property. After the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force, Shivdev Kaur claimed that the life interest had crystallised into an absolute title under Section 14 of the Act. The lower courts held that the life interest remained restric…

The appellant, Chintamani Ammal, claimed a share in agricultural land that was part of a joint Hindu family after her father, Kesava Gounder, died in 1943. She alleged that her father had expressed an intention to sever his joint family status before death, relying on oral testimony of her aunt. The trial court held th…

The appeal concerned a partition suit filed by the daughter of Ramasamy Gounder, who claimed a one‑fifth share in property that was originally purchased by his brother Marappa Gounder in 1938. The lower courts held that Marappa died in 1949, that the property was joint family property and thus devolved by survivorship …

The dispute concerned 13.95 acres of land originally owned by Mardan, who died in 1951, before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force. The appellants (descendants of Puni Ram) claimed exclusive ownership, while the respondents (Mardan’s daughters and their heirs) sought a share. The pivotal question was whether…

The testator executed a 1932 Will granting his sons only a life interest in certain properties, with absolute succession to their heirs after death. In 1975 the son, then a minor at the time of the Will, and his own son sold the property to the appellants, although they possessed only a life interest. The daughters of …

Sunder, owner of joint family property, gifted part of his land to Brij Lal. Remote reversioners (the appellants) challenged the gift and a suit was compromised, granting them a one‑eighth share after Sunder's death. After Sunder died in 1964, the appellants sued to enforce the compromise decree, but Brij Lal contended…

The mother and younger son filed a suit for partition, possession, declaration, injunction and accounting of properties claimed to be Joint Hindu Family assets against the elder son, his wife and other family members. The elder son’s wife (defendant No.2) and subsequent purchasers (defendants No.5 and 6) sought to have…

The appellants, daughters of the late T.G. Basuvan, filed a suit for partition and possession of ancestral lands that had been leased and later sold by their brother, the respondent. The trial court dismissed the suit, holding the daughters were not entitled to partition, a decision upheld by the High Court. The Suprem…

The Supreme Court examined whether a wife and mother who inherited a share in a joint Hindu family property under Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act ceased to be members of the family for purposes of the Maharashtra Agricultural Lands (Ceiling on Holdings) Act, 1961. The Court held that the legal fiction in Section …

The case concerned a Hindu religious endowment where the founder, Purushottam Lal, dedicated his property to the deity Gopalji and appointed his wife, Asharfi Devi, as shebait (temple manager) without a power to alienate the property. After Asharfi Devi's death, the appellant, Shambhu Charan Shukla, claimed possession …

The Supreme Court examined two questions arising from a suit for redemption of a mortgage. First, it held that the second appeal did not abate despite the death of respondent Mohd. Hussain because some of his heirs were already on record, and the only procedural step required was to note his death and adjust the partie…

The appellant, representing the estate of Jagan Singh, sought a permanent injunction to prevent Dhanwanti, the widow of the testator, from selling a parcel of bhumidhari land that had been bequeathed to her with a restriction limiting her rights to her lifetime. The lower courts held that the restriction was invalid un…

The former ruler of Mohanpur State gifted and bequeathed certain lands to his younger son, but the eldest son, who succeeded as ruler, challenged the validity of those dispositions, arguing that the rule of primogeniture applicable to the Raj estate barred any alienation. The Civil Judge declared the deed of gift and w…

Nagar Mal, a Mitakshara coparcener, adopted Nemi Chand, thereby creating a joint coparcenary. Upon Nagar Mal's intestate death in 1989, his undivided half‑share in the ancestral property had to be allotted among his three heirs – the adopted son and his two daughters. The trial court erroneously awarded each daughter a…

The plaintiff, a sister of the deceased brother, filed a suit for specific performance of a sale agreement concerning a house. The deceased had died leaving three sisters and his second wife, who had not remarried. The trial court upheld the suit, but the first appellate court held the plaintiff was not competent to su…

The appeal concerned whether Bhonri Devi, a Hindu widow, became the absolute owner of an ancestral HUF house she occupied in lieu of her pre‑existing right to maintenance. The Supreme Court examined Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, interpreting "possessed by" and "acquired" in its widest sense to includ…

The case concerned a private family temple, Pechiamman Temple, whose management rights were disputed among two branches of the founding family. The plaintiff sought to invalidate the will of Lakshmanan Chettiar, arguing that the right to manage the temple (shebaitship) could not be transferred by testament. The trial c…

The case concerned a dispute over the validity of a will executed by the deceased, Chanan Singh, in favour of his second wife, Bhagwan Kaur, which disinherited the daughters of his first wife. The trial court and the first appellate court upheld the will as a natural document executed by a sound mind. The High Court, o…

Sham Singh, the sole owner of a 47-kanal land, executed a will bequeathing two‑thirds of the property to his brothers and one‑third to his widowed daughter, Balwant Kaur, as a life interest that would revert to the brothers on her death. The daughter, a destitute dependent of her father, claimed full ownership of the o…

The deceased Chiranjilal Shrilal Goenka left a will appointing his younger daughter as executrix, which was contested by Radhey Shyam, who claimed to be an adopted son. The parties, along with another claimant, were brought before a Supreme Court order that appointed a retired Chief Justice as arbitrator to resolve the…

The father of the respondent filed a partition suit in 1955 which was decreed, but after a series of appeals the suit was dismissed as withdrawn through applications that were later alleged to be forged. After the father's death, the daughter, as his legal representative, sought restoration of the suit, claiming that t…

The respondent, Angamuthu Ammal, sought eviction of the appellant, K.V. Muthu, under the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960, claiming personal need for herself and her foster son Arunachala Bakthar. The appellant contested, arguing that a foster son is not a "member of family" as defined in Section…

The case concerned a joint Hindu Mitakshara family where Bhiku died leaving his widow Parvati and son Balu. Balu also died, leaving his widow Lilabai, who later remarried and gave birth to a posthumous daughter, Ashabai, the appellant. Parvati adopted Vithal in 1949, and Ashabai sued for possession of the family proper…

The Supreme Court examined two disputes concerning properties bought by the former ruler of Nabha, R.S., benami in the names of others. The first involved the Simla property (Sterling Castle) and the second the Delhi property (34 Alipur Road). The Court held that the rule of primogeniture, which applies to the rulershi…

The appellants, who are the legal heirs of Dhaiya, a Scheduled Tribe woman, filed a suit for partition of land that belonged to their maternal grandfather, claiming that their mother was entitled to an equal share. The trial court and the High Court dismissed the suit, holding that the plaintiffs failed to prove any cu…

The case involves a property dispute between the branch of Lakshmiah Naidu (respondents) and legatees under a Will (appellants) of Rangaswami Naidu, who died on 01.06.1955 before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The appellants claimed that Rangaswami Naidu had severed the joint family status through a newspaper notice a…

The plaintiff, son of Guramma and the first defendant, claimed ownership of a property originally purchased by his mother and later mutated in his name after her death, asserting that the first defendant had relinquished his half‑share. The first defendant, who later remarried, contested this, arguing that mutation doe…

Narasoji Rao died intestate leaving a sole son (the appellant) and five daughters (including the plaintiff). The daughter filed a suit for partition of the family house (Schedule A) and other property, alleging a one‑seventh share, later increased to one‑sixth after the mother’s death. The trial court granted a prelimi…

The appellant, Sneh Gupta, an heir of Munni Devi, challenged a compromise decree that had been entered into by the original plaintiff Veena Nirwani and certain defendants during the pendency of two suits concerning land mutation and alleged fraud. The compromise resulted in the withdrawal of both suits, but Gupta and o…

The Supreme Court examined whether the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 (sections 6(1), 6(3), 6(5)) operates retrospectively. The appellant‑appellants argued that the amendment should not apply to a daughter whose father, a coparcener, died before the Act’s commencement, contending that the amendment is prospecti…

Rangi Lal and his son Chander Sen formed a Hindu undivided family (HUF) that later underwent a partial partition, after which Rangi Lal died leaving a credit balance in the firm’s books. Chander Sen, who had his own HUF with his sons, claimed that the balance and its interest were his individual inheritance and exclude…

The appeal concerned Mukatlal's challenge to a revenue suit filed by Kailash Chand, the adopted son and legal heir of the Hindu widow Smt. Nandkanwarbai, seeking partition of an unpartitioned joint Hindu family estate under Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Supreme Court examined whether a Hindu wido…

The case involved two sisters who challenged a 1983 deed of partition and relinquishment of their rights in family properties in favour of their brothers, alleging fraud and lack of consideration. The lower courts had held that the properties were joint family assets, the partition was a family settlement, and the sist…

The case concerned a suit for possession of a shop in Ludhiana filed by the grandson and great‑grandson of Dr. Hira Singh, who claimed title after the death of the testator’s widowed daughter, Shiv Dev Kaur, who held a life interest under a 1944 will. The daughter had created a tenancy with the defendant and was entitl…

The appellants, descendants of Data Ram, challenged the mutation of agricultural land in favour of respondent No.5, which was based on a purported Will of Ratni Devi, a daughter of the original owner. The Supreme Court held that the genuineness of the Will is a matter for a competent civil court and, since a suit on th…

The appellants filed a suit for declaration of title and permanent injunction over ancestral A and B Schedule properties, claiming inheritance rights. The trial court dismissed the suit, but the first appellate court allowed it, finding the appellants entitled to the properties. The respondents appealed to the Madras H…

The case concerned a sale of a portion of a block of houses in Rae Bareli by Parmeshwar Din Misra (defendant No. 2), who claimed exclusive ownership, to K.C. Kapoor (appellant). The plaintiff‑mother and her two grand‑sons challenged the sale, alleging that the property was joint Hindu family property, that the sale was…

The plaintiff Rohit Chauhan sued to declare that his father's sale and release deeds alienating 104 kanals of land were void, arguing that the land was ancestral coparcenary property. The father, Guiab Singh, had received the land in a partition of his father's estate and later, after Rohit's birth in 1982, became a so…

The appeal arose from a partition suit concerning the self‑acquired property of the deceased Govinda Singh, who allegedly left a will in favour of his son (the appellant). The daughters contested the will’s validity and sought partition of the dwelling house. The key legal issue was the effect of the Hindu Succession (…

Shyam Lal (plaintiff) sued Sanjeev Kumar and others to declare that a mutation in favour of the defendants, who were grandsons of the deceased BR, was illegal because the land was ancestral property that could not be bequeathed by will. The defendants produced a registered will dated 4‑12‑1978 in favour of them and cla…

The deceased Sri Pervakutty executed a will in 1975 bequeathing his property to his sons, while providing a monthly allowance and residence right to his wife. After Pervakutty's death, his son Sukumaran died in 1976 and the widow remarried in 1979. The widow filed a partition suit in 1985 claiming one‑third of the prop…

The appellant, SMT. P. Leelavathamma, appealed against the Controller of Estate Duty challenging the computation of the net principal value of the deceased’s estate. She argued that the estate duty payable on the property passing on death constituted a first‑charge encumbrance and therefore should be deductible under S…

The husband filed a suit for declaration of title and possession of a schedule property where his wife and children were residing. The trial court and the first appellate court decreed possession in favour of the husband. The wife appealed, asserting her right to reside in the matrimonial home and relying on a previous…

In 1952 G. Pullareddy gifted a life estate in his share of family property to his wife Sheshamma, stipulating that after her death the property would pass to his minor son G. Ramireddy. After Pullareddy's death, Sheshamma executed relinquishment, sale deeds and a will. Ramireddy sued to declare those deeds void, and th…

The appellant, a widowed daughter, claimed ownership of her mother’s property based on a registered will that left the entire estate to her, excluding her six sisters. The lower courts dismissed the will, alleging that the exclusion of other heirs rendered the will suspicious and that the mother never became the sole o…

Kirpal Kaur filed a partition suit seeking her late husband's share in a Delhi building (schedule ‘B’ property). The trial court and the Delhi High Court held the property to be self‑acquired by her father‑in‑law and denied her any share. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the evidence, including the father‑in‑law’s…

Manraj Singh executed a will in 1946 leaving his entire property to his grandson Raghuvir Singh, but reserving "full control and ownership" of the property for himself and his wife Janak Dulari during their lifetimes. After Manraj's death Janak Dulari possessed the land; a compromise decree in 1947 confirmed that she w…

The plaintiff filed a suit in 1964 seeking declaration of title and possession of agricultural land based on a will executed by Ajuddhibai. The trial court upheld the will, rejected alleged sale deeds and granted possession to the plaintiff. The defendants appealed, and the High Court reversed the decision, also reject…

The case concerned the devolution of property of Khem Kaur, a Hindu female who died intestate. Kirpa Singh, her son by her second husband, claimed the entire estate, arguing that as the sole "son" he was entitled to the whole share under section 15(1)(a) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. Lachman Singh, the son of Khem…

The case concerned a gift of land made by Kehar Singh in 1947 to his second wife, Basant Kaur, as maintenance. After the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the widow’s step‑grandsons claimed the gift gave her only a limited estate under Section 14(2) and that the estate could not be enlarged. The High Court held the gift fell…

The case involved three branches of a Mitakshara joint Hindu family that executed a partition deed in 1961. In 1969 the eldest brother of one branch, acting as Karta, and a cousin executed a relinquishment deed surrendering their branch's share in favour of the eldest uncle who had repaid a family mortgage. Four younge…

Gurdial Singh transferred 94 kanals and 19 marlas of land to his wife Harmel Kaur in 1963 as maintenance, subject to restrictive covenants. After Singh's death, Harmel sold a portion of the land to the appellants. The second wife and three daughters of Singh sued, claiming a one‑seventh share, arguing that Harmel only …

Narain Singh died intestate in 1952 leaving his wife Gurmej Kaur and three sons, including Pal Singh. Gurmej remarried later that year. Pal Singh died intestate in 1972 without issue, and his mother claimed inheritance of his estate. The question was whether Section 2 of the Hindu Widow's Re‑Marriage Act, 1856 barred a…

The case concerned a dispute over several properties in Bangalore, where the respondents claimed that Nirmala, a natural daughter of Kadarappa, had been adopted by her uncle Obalappa and therefore inherited his estate. The Supreme Court examined whether a daughter can be validly adopted under Hindu law, concluding that…

The case concerns the management of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, which has been historically managed by the Travancore royal family. After the integration of princely states, a Covenant in 1949 and the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950 preserved the Ruler's control over the …

The deceased Dr. Mahendra Prasad died in 2021 leaving three sons; one son, Ranjit Sharma, died after his father’s death and his wife Geeta Sharma filed a maintenance petition under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, claiming she was a dependant. The Family Court dismissed the petition, holding she was not a…

The deceased B.R. Dewan owned a house which he bequeathed by will: the ground floor to his son Ranvir, the first floor to his daughter Rashmi, and a "life interest" to his second wife, Mrs. Pritam, to reside and collect rent. After his death, a dispute arose and Ranvir (appellant) and his mother sought a declaration th…

A suit for partition of a Mitakshara coparcenary property was filed by a son (respondent No.1) against his father, brother and two sisters (the appellants). The trial court passed a preliminary decree in 1999, amended in 2003, determining the parties' shares, but a final decree had not been rendered. While the suit was…

A Hindu widow executed a will in favour of the respondent. After her death, the respondent obtained a grant of probate from the High Court, but failed to disclose that the testator owned property in Uttar Pradesh and did not publish citations there as required by Section 283(3) of the Indian Succession Act. The appella…

A partition suit was filed in 1965 and a preliminary decree was passed in 1975. Jamuna Prasad (J) died in 1987 leaving his widow, two sons and four daughters, one of whom claimed a one‑third share of the property. The Supreme Court, in an earlier order dated 3 March 1992, directed that the shares of J’s legal represent…

The appellants, who had secured admission to medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh through the Pre‑Medical Entrance Test (PMT), challenged the cancellation of their results and admissions on the grounds that the Vyapam Board was not validly constituted under the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board Act, 2007 and …

Pratibha Rani, an estranged wife, filed a criminal complaint under s.406 IPC alleging that her husband Suraj Kumar, his father, brothers and brother‑in‑law had misappropriated her stridhan (dowry) worth Rs.60,000 that was entrusted to them at the time of marriage. The Punjab & Haryana High Court quashed the complaint u…

The appellant, Bhanwar Singh, son of Sant Ram, challenged a mortgage and sale of land made by his father in 1985 to the respondents, arguing that the land was joint family property and could not be alienated without legal necessity. The land originally belonged to the appellant's paternal grandfather, Bhima, who died i…

The petitioners, daughters of the deceased, filed an application under Sections 192‑195 of the Indian Succession Act seeking possession of their ancestral house, alleging illegal occupation by the respondent who claimed title under a purported joint will. The District Judge, in a summary proceeding, examined the will i…

The dispute arose over a property mortgaged by widow Bai Jivi in 1911; after her death in 1955 the property passed to her daughter Hati, who filed a suit for redemption of the mortgage. The trial court dismissed the suit, but the Additional District Judge decreed in favour of the respondents, holding that Hati was the …

The appellant, Yudhishter, had been in possession of a residential premises since 1962. The respondent landlord, Ashok Kumar, purchased the premises in 1971 and later filed an eviction petition in 1974 under the Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973, claiming a bona‑fide requirement for his own occupat…

The Supreme Court examined a partition suit between two branches of a Hindu family concerning self‑acquired agricultural lands left by a father (A) who died intestate without grandsons. The issue was whether the lands passed to his three sons as joint Hindu family property (joint tenancy) or as tenants‑in‑common by inh…

The Supreme Court examined the interpretation of Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 as amended by the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005. It held that the amendment confers coparcenary status on daughters—whether born before or after the amendment—on and from 9 September 2005, giving them the same rights a…

The original owner of 119 acres filed a joint declaration under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 for himself, his wife and three sons, while two daughters filed separate declarations claiming land allotted to them under a family "Pasupu Kumkuma" arrangement. The competent authority prepared a draft sta…

Makhan Singh, a displaced person, was allotted agricultural land in Jammu & Kashmir under Government Order No. 254 of 1965 and his ownership was entered in the Jamabandi of 1966‑67. After his death in 1981, the Tehsildar mutated the entry in favour of his two sons, Rajinder Singh and Daljit Singh. The daughters, Kuldip…

The dispute involved a landlord-tenant suit where the tenants claimed ownership of a shop based on a sale deed executed by a life‑estate holder, Janki Bibi (2nd). An earlier 1958 judgment had held that Janki Bibi possessed only a life interest and could not transfer the property. The Small Causes Court decreed the land…

The appellant Muninanjappa claimed that a Will dated 1 June 1942 gave him and Guruswamy only a limited, non‑alienable life interest in a house, with absolute ownership only if a son was born. Guruswamy died without male issue and his widow Sevamma sold the property to respondents R. Manual and others. The trial court a…

Two brothers, who were co‑owners of inherited land with three sisters, entered into a sale agreement with the appellant and an arbitration agreement to fix the price. The first arbitral award was set aside by the civil court on two grounds: breach of natural justice and the fact that the sisters, who owned a 3/5 share,…

Maharani Raj Laxmi Devi, after adopting a minor son and the death of her husband, claimed HUF status and excluded the minor's one‑sixth share—acquired under Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act—from the HUF's taxable income for AY 1966‑67 to 1970‑71. The Income Tax Officer held that, absent a partition order under Sec…

The male testator executed a 1941 will granting each of his two wives a life interest in half of his property, with his daughter as ultimate beneficiary. After the testator's death in 1958, one widow executed a 1966 will transferring her interest to a stranger. The daughter (respondent) sued, arguing the widow only had…

The case concerned a perpetual leasehold Nazul plot in Allahabad that had been transferred to the Maharaja of Maihar and later bequeathed by the Maharaja to his second wife’s son. The appellant purchased the plot from the elder son, while the respondents claimed title as members of the joint Hindu family asserting copa…

The daughters (appellants) claimed ownership of a house and land settled on them by their father through a registered settlement deed, seeking a permanent injunction against the father’s attempts to evict them. The father contended that the deed was obtained by fraud, that he was only a witness to a sale deed, and that…

The case concerned a widow, Smt. Yashoda Bai, who owned her late husband's immovable property and later adopted a son, executing an unregistered deed of adoption that purported to divest her of any right to alienate the property. She subsequently executed a registered sale deed in favour of the appellant, who sued for …

The appellant, an unmarried daughter, sought to increase her share in a joint Hindu family property after the Karnataka legislature inserted Section 6A into the Hindu Succession Act, granting daughters equal coparcenary rights. A preliminary decree in the partition suit had already fixed her share at 1/28th, but the fi…

The appellants sought a declaration of title to a property in Pondicherry, alleging that a prior sale by a Hindu widow who held only a life estate was void. The trial court dismissed the suit for lack of a claim for possession, a decision upheld by the High Court, which also held that the widow had acquired absolute ti…

The appeal concerned the interpretation of Section 14 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, specifically the interplay between sub‑sections (1) and (2) regarding whether a Hindu female's possession of property, whether by will, gift, or maintenance, confers absolute ownership or a restricted estate. The appellant, a purch…

The appellant, Kamla Neti, a daughter of a coparcener belonging to a Scheduled Tribe, claimed a one‑fifth share of compensation awarded for land acquired by the State, invoking the survivorship right under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Reference Court and the Orissa High Court rejected her claim on the ground tha…

Soran died intestate leaving two wives, a son and three daughters. Shingari, one of the widows, had a son Man Singh from a prior marriage. Man Singh sued Shingari claiming ownership of land based on a 1978 family settlement, asserting she held a one‑fifth share after Soran's death; the trial court decreed in his favour…

Jagannath Amin's mother filed a suit for partition of scheduled agricultural land, claiming she was a co‑owner and therefore in constructive possession of the property. The plaintiff argued that court fees should be computed under Section 35(2) of the Karnataka Court Fee and Suit Valuation Act, 1958, i.e., on the deeme…

Mahan Kaur, a Hindu woman, inherited agricultural land from her husband. After her intestate death, the revenue authorities mutated the land in favour of the State, claiming no qualified heir existed. Balwant Singh, the grandson of Mahan Kaur's brother, sued for possession and for a declaration that he could redeem the…

The case involved a dwelling house inherited by a brother (respondent) and his two sisters (appellants) who had received their shares by gift from their mother. The sisters filed a partition suit; during the proceedings the younger sister married and the brother sought to pre‑empt her share under Section 4 of the Parti…

In 1966 a son filed a suit for partition of his parents' joint family property, which was decreed by compromise among the parents and three brothers. After the decree, in 2006 one of the brothers (Maya Prakash Jain) filed a suit claiming exclusive ownership of certain properties, asserting a later family settlement. Sr…

The appeal concerned a partition suit filed by the sisters of the deceased R.M. Patil seeking one‑fifth shares in five properties alleged to be self‑acquired by him. The appellant argued that the suit should fail for non‑joinder of his uncle, for omission of certain properties, and on the ground of ouster, claiming he …

Kannabiran Pillai executed settlement deeds in 1938, 1939 and 1943 creating a life interest in his second wife Kumudammal over certain properties, with the remainder to pass to Sri Ramakrishna Mutt after her death. Kumudammal occupied the property and collected rents from 4 March 1939, while Pillai managed it on her be…

The vendee, Kammana Sambamurthy, entered into a sale agreement with the vendor, Kalipatnapu Kamaraju, for an entire house, paying an advance of Rs.10,000. The vendor's wife, Kalipatnapu Atchutamma, later claimed a half‑share in the property under Section 14 of the Hindu Succession Act and sought cancellation of the agr…

The dispute concerned lands acquired by Parwatevva, a Hindu woman, after her marriage. The plaintiffs alleged that all the properties were joint Hindu family assets and sought a one‑third share for each son, while the defendants contended that the lands were Parwatevva's self‑acquired or stridhana property. The trial c…

Ralla Singh, a Hindu male, executed a will bequeathing his self‑acquired property to his wife Isher Kaur for life, with a restriction that she could not alienate the property and that after her death the two nephews would inherit. After Ralla's death, Isher Kaur gifted the property to a Gurdwara, which the nephews chal…

Rajathiammal, a female Hindu, acquired suit property from her maternal grandmother through a court‑sanctioned compromise decree. She died intestate and without issue on 1 July 1972. The appellant, V. Dandapani Chettiar, son of Rajathiammal's father, claimed that the property should devolve on the heirs of her father un…

The plaintiffs, heirs of Har Narain, sued the widow of Sheo Lal (C) for possession of a one‑sixth share of agricultural land after she died. The land had been subject to a 1932 compromise decree granting Sheo Lal only a limited, non‑transferable right to use the land, and upon his death, the widow would enjoy a similar…

The dispute concerned a property inherited by Phoolbasa Bai after her husband's death and a subsequent sale of a portion of that property to Mukesh Kumar Chourasia. The plaintiff, Ganeshram, challenged both the validity of a 1977 will favouring Phoolbasa Bai's brothers and the 1987 sale deed, alleging that Phoolbasa Ba…

The appeal concerned whether the appellant, a daughter of Ram Singh and Gurnam Kaur, was a legitimate child despite Gurnam Kaur's earlier marriage not being legally dissolved. Earlier courts had held the child illegitimate because the prior marriage was void under Section 11 of the Hindu Marriage Act. The appellant arg…

Moola Gounder died intestate leaving two sons, his wife and three daughters. The father's one‑third share in the coparcenary property was to be inherited by the six legal heirs. The youngest daughter, then a minor, sued for partition, alleging that a release deed executed by her mother (her natural guardian) relinquish…

The appellant, Saroop Singh, claimed ownership of suit properties that had been gifted to him by the widow, Indira Devi, who possessed only a life interest under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The respondents, Banto and others, were reversioners who sued for possession, asserting that the widow's gift did not affect t…

The case concerned the succession to the private properties of the late Raja Harinder Singh of Faridkot. The Raja had executed several wills, the last of which (dated 1‑June‑1982) purportedly left all his property to a trust for his two younger daughters, excluding the eldest daughter, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. The eldest …

In 1934 a widow, Sukh Devi, was awarded specific immovable property and a lump‑sum by arbitration as compensation for her pre‑existing right to maintenance from her father‑in‑law’s joint family. After the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force, the widow sold the property in 1960, and the sale was challenged on the…

The appellant, Radhika, was the sole child of a mother who had inherited property from her own father. When the mother died intestate, her husband (the respondent) claimed a half‑share as a Class‑I heir. The trial court dismissed his claim, but the district court and the High Court reversed, granting the husband an equ…

Brahmadeo Singh, a coparcener in a Mitakshara joint family, filed a suit for partition of his share. The suit was dismissed and while the appeal was pending he died. His alleged daughter, Pavitri Devi, filed an application for substitution, claiming she was his heir and that a registered gift deed dated 5 August 1980 c…

A widow executed a will appointing her nephew as executor, who later created a trust (Vokkaligara Sangha) over the landed property. Disputes arose over ownership, leading to land‑reforms proceedings, a suit for declaration by the trust, and a settlement in which the trust limited its claim to a small portion of the lan…

The suit property was a house jointly purchased in 1963 by T.G. Seshagiri Rao and his uncle T.K. Vasudeva Murthy. The uncle later relinquished his interest to Rao by a release deed in 1989, making Rao the absolute owner. After the death of her husband (Vasudeva Murthy's son), the appellant, G. Rama, occupied the house …

The petitioners, tribal women from Bihar, challenged Sections 7, 8 and 76 of the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908 as discriminatory against women and violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. The Court examined whether the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and the Indian Succession Act, 1925 applied to Scheduled …

Two brothers inherited agricultural land in Himachal Pradesh; one brother sold his share to Babu Ram, prompting the other brother to seek a prohibitory injunction claiming a preferential right under Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The trial court dismissed the suit, but the appellate court held that Secti…

Mela Ram died leaving his mother Radha in possession of his property. Radha, a life‑tenant, later gifted and bequeathed portions of the property to her grandson Shiv Dass. The other daughter, Devki, challenged these alienations, claiming that she and her sister Durga were the reversionary heirs entitled to equal halves…

The case concerned the inheritance rights of three sons born to Laxman before his adoption in 1935 and a daughter born after adoption. After Laxman's death in 1987, the question arose whether the pre‑adoption sons could inherit the property of the adoptive family under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Supreme Court …

The suit premises were originally let to the plaintiff's father‑in‑law in 1940; after his death the tenancy passed to his son Baldev, and subsequently to Baldev's wife Lalita. Upon Lalita's death, her brother Durga Prasad claimed to inherit the tenancy and resisted eviction by the landlord. The landlord filed an evicti…

The Supreme Court examined whether a nominee under Section 39 of the Insurance Act, 1938 acquires a beneficial interest in the proceeds of a life‑insurance policy when the assured dies intestate. The deceased, governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, had nominated his wife as the sole nominee. The wife claimed exclu…

The case involved a joint family property dispute among descendants of Pillappa, concerning the validity of two registered release deeds (1956 and 1967) and an unregistered palupatti (partition) deed of 1972. The plaintiffs argued that the releases were ineffective and that the palupatti could not be relied upon, while…

The case concerned a partition suit filed by E. Vanaja, the widow of a pre‑deceased son, seeking a share in the properties of her mother‑in‑law under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The trial court awarded her a one‑eighth share; the first appellate court reduced it to one‑sixteenth of certain schedule properties, and …

The case concerned a property bequeathed by P. Venkata Subba Rao in 1920 to his third wife Veeraghavamma for her lifetime as maintenance. After the husband's death, Veeraghavamma occupied the house, and the question arose whether her limited life interest under the Will became an absolute right under Section 14(1) of t…

The case concerned a piece of land originally allotted to the widow Kirpo, which was inherited by her daughters Santi and Indra. After Santi's death, the property was mutated in Indra's name. Bhagat Ram had entered into an agreement with Indra and sued for specific performance, obtaining a decree in his favour. Teja Si…

The Supreme Court examined the definition of "respondent" in Section 2(q) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which limited it to an "adult male person". The Court held that this restriction bore no rational relation to the Act's purpose of protecting women from all forms of domestic violence a…

The widow Mst. Shem inherited her husband's property in 1942 with only a life interest. In 1943 she executed a deed of gift in favour of Shri Dhari, the father of the appellants, but a suit filed by the respondents led to a compromise decree declaring the gift ineffective and providing that the land would be divided af…

Amar Singh died leaving two widows, each allotted one‑third of his agricultural land as maintenance. The petitioner, Amar Singh's adopted son, obtained one‑third from Har Kaur and sued Jagir Kaur, the other widow, for a declaration that she had no interest in the land. A 1945 compromise decree allowed Jagir Kaur to ret…

The case concerned a dispute over the partition of certain properties originally belonging to G.R. Kuppuswamy Naidu, who had acquired them by a Will executed by his father in 1921. After Kuppuswamy's death, his sons and their descendants claimed the properties, while the plaintiffs argued that the lands formed a Mitaks…

The widow, a destitute and widowed daughter, adopted her brother as her son with her father's consent. The father and the adopted son jointly gifted her agricultural land in 1950, stipulating that the land would revert to them (or their heirs) upon her death. After the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 came into force, the wi…

The respondents, a mother and her minor daughter, filed a partition suit claiming a one‑third share in certain agricultural and urban properties, alleging that the properties were ancestral joint‑family assets. The trial court awarded them a one‑sixth share, but the High Court reversed, holding that two of the properti…

The appellant, Vellikannu, a daughter‑in‑law, claimed inheritance of the joint family property of her deceased father‑in‑law, Ramasami Konar, asserting her right as his widow. The sole son of the deceased, Respondent No.1, had murdered his father and was convicted under Section 302 IPC, later released. The issue was wh…

The case concerned a deed of settlement executed by Rami Reddy, a coparcener in a Mitakshara joint Hindu family, which conveyed his entire undivided interest in the coparcenary to his brother Veera Reddy while reserving a life interest for himself. After the deaths of both brothers, the widow of Rami Reddy sought parti…

The Supreme Court heard Civil Appeal No. 1110 of 2006 (Ram Nath Sao @ Ram Nath Sahu v. Goberdhan Sao) concerning the partition of a Hindu Mitakshara joint family property. The dispute centered on the calculation of each member's share after successive deaths, the applicability of Section 3(2) of the Hindu Women’s Right…

The Supreme Court examined an appeal challenging a Bombay High Court interim order that appointed the High Court’s Official Receiver for the assets of a company and gave Sudha A. Chowgule exclusive powers to execute documents and induct tenants. The Court reiterated that under Order 40 Rule 1 of the Code of Civil Proce…

The father of the appellant and the first respondent died in 1956, leaving a joint Hindu family where the Patel watan lands were impartible and governed by primogeniture. The Maharashtra Revenue Patels (Abolition of Office) Act, 1962 abolished the Patel watan and, under s.5, the eldest son Balwant obtained a re‑grant o…

The case concerned the alienation of undivided co‑parcenary property by a Hindu coparcener through a gift deed, two sale deeds and a will. The Supreme Court held that a gift by a coparcener of his undivided interest in joint family property is void, and that the validity of the sale deeds must be examined on the factua…

The appellant, Saroj Salkan, filed a partition suit under Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act seeking division of five properties inherited from her father, Major General Budh Singh, against the legal heirs of her brother and sister. The Single Judge of the Delhi High Court dismissed the suit under Order XII Rule 6 o…

The case concerned the intestate succession of self‑acquired property of Narayani Devi, a widow who was expelled from her matrimonial home and lived with her parents. After her death, her mother and her brothers applied for a succession certificate, while the heirs of her husband also claimed the property. The Supreme …

The appellant, Naresh Kumari, bought a house from Kesri, the widow of Radhakishan, in 1954. The respondents, reversioners of Radhakishan, argued that the widow had only a limited right in the property before the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and could sell only for legal necessity, rendering the sale void. The trial court…