Hindu Inheritance

Whati sI nher i t anc e? Inheritance is whatever one receives upon the death of a relative due to the laws of succession, when there is no will and generally by a will. However, inheritance has come to mean anything received from the estate of  a person who has died, whether by the laws of succession or as a beneciary of a will or trust. It has not been dened under any statute, though for practical purposes there is no dierence dierences s between inheritance and succession.

I nher i t anc eLawappl i c abl et oal l t he c omm mmuni t y : • • • • •

Hi ndu Mus l i m Chr i s t i an J ew Par s i

Whoi saHi ndu? Indi Indian an Cons Consti titu tuti tion on does does not not gi give ve a defn defnit itio ion n o the the term Hindu, but it does defne to whom the Hindu Law appl pliies. It has to do this bec because in spite o its  pretence to secularism, the Indian Constitution allows Musl Muslim ims, s, Chri Christ stia ians ns and and Parsi Parsis s a sepa separa rate te Pers Person onal al Law Law. In a way way, this this sepa separa rate te trea treatm tmen entt o di die ere rent  nt  communities merely continues the communal autonomy o castes and sects accepted in pre!modern Hindu states, but it e"poses the credibility defcit o  Indi Indian an secu secula lari rism sm.. #t any any rate rate,, the the si situ tuat atio ion n is that  that  Personal Law is divided on the basis o religion, and

that one o the legal subsystems is called Hindu Law.

I nher i t anc ei nHi ndu sal awt hatwaspas s edbyt he TheHi nduSuc c e s s i onAc t ,1 95 6,i par l i amentofI ndi a  i n1956t oamendandc odi f yt hel awr el at i ngt o i nt es t at eorunwi l l eds uc ces si on,amongHi n du s.Th eAc tl a y sdo wna uni f or m andc ompr ehens i v es y s t em ofi nher i t anc eandappl i est o per s onsg ov e r nedbybo t ht heMi t āk ṣar ā  and dD Dāy abhāg a  s c hool s .I ti s hai l edf ori t scons ol i dat i onofHi ndul awsons uc ces si oni nt ooneAc t .The Hi nduwoman' sl i mi t edes t at ei sabol i s hedbyt heAc t .Anypr oper t y pos s es s edbyaHi nduf emal ei st obehel db yherabs ol ut epr oper t yand s hei sgi v enf ul l powert odeal wi t hi tanddi s pos ei tofbywi l l asshel i k es . TheAct wasame mendedi n2005byt heHi nduSucces si on( Amendment ) Ac t ,2005.

Appl i c abi l i t y 1)Thi sAc tappl i es ( a)t oanyper s on,whoi saHi ndubyr el i gi oni nanyofi t sf or msor dev el opment si nc l udi ngaVi r as hai v a,aLi ngay atorf ol l oweroft heBr ahmo, Pr a r t h an ao rAr y aSa ma ma j ; ( b)t oanyper s onwhoi sBuddhi s t ,J ai norSi k hbyr el i gi on;and ( c )t oanyot herper s onwhoi snotaMus l i m,Chr i s t i an,Par s iorJ ewbyr el i gi on unl es si ti spr o v edt hatan ys uc hper s onwoul dnotha v ebeengo v er nedb yt he Hi nduLa w orb yan ycus t om orus ageaspar toft hatl a wi nr es pec tofan yof t hemat t er sdeal twi t hher ei ni ft hi sAc thadnotbeenpas sed.

Ex pl anat i on:Thef ol l owi ngper s onsar eHi ndus ,Buddhi s t s ,J ai nsorSi k hsby r el i gi on,ast hec as emaybe: ( a)anychi l d,l egi t i mat eori l l egi t i mat e,oneofwhos epar ent sar eHi ndus , Buddhi s t s ,J ai nsorSi k hsbyr el i gi on; ( b)anyc hi l d,l egi t i mat eori l l egi t i mat e,oneofwhos epar ent si saHi ndu,

Buddhi s t ,J ai nsorSi k hb yr el i gi onandwhoi sbr oughtupasamemberoft he t r i be,c ommuni t y ,gr ouporf ami l yt owhi c hs uc hpar entbel ongsorbel onged; ( c )anyper s onwhoi sconv er torr ec onv er tt ot heHi ndu,Buddhi s t ,J ai nsor Si k hr el i gi on.

( 2)Not wi t hs t andi ngany t hi ngc ont ai nedi ns ubs ec t i on( 1)not hi ngc ont ai nedi n t hi sAc ts hal l appl yt ot hemember sofan ySc hedul edT r i bewi t hi nt hemeani ng ofc l aus e( 25)ofar t i c l e366oft heCons t i t ut i onunl es st heCent r al Gov er nment ,bynot i fi cat i oni nt heOffic i al Gaz et t e,ot her wi s edi r ec t s . ( 3)Theex pr es si on" Hi ndu"i nanypor t i onoft hi sAc ts hal l bec ons t r uedasi fi t i nc l udedaper s onwho,t houghnotaHi ndubyr el i gi on,i s ,nev er t hel es s,a per s ont owhom t hi sAc tappl i esbyv i r t ueoft hepr ov i s i onsc ont ai nedi nt hi s s ec t i on.

I nt hec as eofmal es Thepr oper t yofaHi ndumal edy i ngi nt es t at e,orwi t houtawi l l ,woul dbegi v en fi r s tt ohei r swi t hi nCl as sI .I ft her ear enohei r sc at egor i z edasCl as sI ,t he pr oper t ywi l l begi v ent ohei r swi t hi nCl as sI I .I ft her ear enohei r si nCl as sI I , t hepr oper t ywi l l gi v ent ot hedec eas ed’ sagnat esorr el at i v est hr oughmal e l i neage.I ft her ear enoagnat esorr el at i v est hr ought hemal e’ sl i neage,t hen t hepr oper t yi sgi v ent ot hec ognat es ,oranyr el at i v et hr ought hel i neageof ma l e so rf e ma ma l e s . Ther ear et woc l as sesofhei r st hatar edel i neat edbyt heAc t . Cl as sIhei r sar es ons ,wi do ws ,mot her s ,s onsofapr edec eas eds on, ,wi dows ofapr ed ec eas eds o n,s onofa,pr ede ce as eds on sofapr edec e as eds on, a ndwi d owso fapr e d ec e as eds ono fapr e de ce as eds o n. I ft her ei smo mor et hanonewi dow,mul t i pl es ur v i v i ngs onsormul t i pl esofanyof t heot herhei r sl i s t edabov e,eac hs hal l begr ant edones har eoft he dec eas ed’ spr oper t y .Al s oi ft hewi do w ofapr edec eas eds on,t hewi do w ofa pr ede ce as eds onofapr e dec ea sedso nort h ewi d owo fabr o t h erh as r emar r i ed,s hei snotent i t l edt or ec ei v et hei nher i t anc e. Cl as sI Ihei r sar ec at egor i z edasf ol l owsandar egi v ent hepr oper t yoft he

dec eas edi nt hef ol l owi ngor der : 1. F a t h er 2. S on' sdaught er ' ss on 3. S on' sdaught er ' sdaught er 4. B r o t her

i s t er 5. S 6. Da ught er ' ss on' ss on 7. Da ught er ' ss on' sdaught er 8. Da ught er ' sdaught er ' sson 9. Da ught er ' sd aught er ' sd aught er 10.

Br ot her ' ss on

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Br ot her ' sdaught er

I nt hec as eoff emal es Undert heHi nduSuc c es s i onAc t ,1956,f emal esar egr ant edowner s hi pofal l pr oper t yac qui r edei t herbef or eoraf t ert hes i gni ngoft heAc t ,abol i s hi ngt hei r “ l i mi t edowner "s t at us .Howev er ,i twasnotunt i l t he2005Amendmentt hat daught er swer eal l owedequal r ec ei ptofpr oper t yaswi t hs ons .Thi si nv ar i abl y gr ant sf emal espr oper t yr i ght s . Thepr oper t yofaHi nduf emal edy i ngi nt es t at e,orwi t houtawi l l ,s hal l dev ol v e i nt hef ol l owi ngor der : 1. u pont hes onsanddaught er s( i nc l udi ngt hec hi l dr enofan ypr edec eas ed

s o no rd au gh t e r )a ndt h eh us b an d, 2. u pont hehe i r soft heh us ba nd . 3. u pont hehei r soft hef at her ,and 4. u pont hehei r soft hemot her .

Cer t ai nex c ept i ons I f,andt hehei r sar ebot hmal eandf emal e,t hef emal ehei ri snotal l owedt o r eques tpar t i t i onunt i l t hemal ehei rc hoos est odi v i det hei rr es pec t i v es har es . I ft hi sf emal ehei ri sadaught er ,s hehast her i ghtt or es i dei nt hehomei fs he

i sunmar r i ed,di v o r c edorwi do wed.Af t e rt heHi n duSuc c es s i on( Amendmen t ) Ac t ,2005Sec t i on6t hedi ff er enc ebe t weent hef emal eandmal ei nher i t orhas beenabol i s hed-Nowev enf emal ei nher i t or[ daught er ]c anal s oc l ai m par t i t i on oft heanc es t r al pr oper t y . An yper s onwhoc ommi t smu mu r deri sdi s qu al i fi e df r om r ec ei v i n gan yf or mo f i nher i t anc ef r om t hev i c t i m. I far el at i v ec onv er t sf r om Hi ndui s m,heors hei ss t i l l el i gi bl ef ori nher i t anc e. Thedes cendant soft hatc onv er t edr el at i v e,howev er ,ar edi s qual i fi edf r om r ec ei v i ngi nher i t anc ef r om t hei rHi ndur el at i v es ,unl es st heyhav ec onv er t ed bac kt oHi ndui s m bef or et hedeat hoft her el at i v e.

Amendment s Th eHi n duSu c c e s si o n( Ame nd me me nt )Ac t ,2 00 5,a me me nd edSe c t i o n6oft h e Hi nduSuc c es s i onAc t ,1956,al l o wi ngdaught er soft hedec eas edequal r i ght s wi t hs ons .I nt hec as eof c o p a r c e n a r y   pr oper t y , orac as ei nwhi c ht wopeopl e i nher i tpr oper t yequal l ybet weent hem,t hedaught erands onar es ubj ec tt ot he s amel i abi l i t i esanddi s abi l i t i es .Theamendmentes sent i al l yf ur t her sequal r i ght sbe t weenmal esandf emal esi nt hel egal s y s t em.