Ancestral Property
Source: Livemint.com

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 13th February, 2022 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

I have a query on Hindu Succession act: My mother has 6 brothers and 2 sisters, of which only 4 are alive including my mother. So Originally 9 children including my mother, Each of the brothers and sisters have children in the range of 2 to 9, I am aware that at this point my mother and the other 3 living siblings are righteous claimants on the ancestral property under Class-1.

Now my question is, – When my mother and the other siblings are no more, then how will the property be distributed?

My mother’s eldest brother has 9 children and her other siblings have an average of 2-3. So, if the total number of children all put together is 30, will it still be divided by 30 or will it be divided by 9 (i.e. my mother’s share and her 8 siblings)?

— A. ShankarContinue Reading How will maternal grandparents property be distributed under Indian law?

 A Will differs from contracts and other executed documents in one important aspect. Unlike other documents, a Will only takes effect from the death of the person who has made it (called the testator). The testator’s testimony is not available to determine whether the Will is valid and whether it constitutes the testator’s true intentions. Thus, the validation and interpretation of a Will is rather unique for the significance of surrounding circumstances, and the identity and status of parties.

This being the case, it becomes advisable not only to prepare a Will that is clear and legally valid, but also to ensure that if a challenge to the Will is anticipated, suitable safeguards to fortify it have been put in place. In this post, we discuss the legal grounds on which a Will may be challenged, and some of the commonly adopted precautions that testators may put in place to help validate their Wills and to assist in giving effect to their desired intentions.

Grounds for Challenge

After the testator passes away, the Will may be challenged before a Court by any person who claims to have an interest in the testator’s estate. If the Court finds, based on the evidence placed before it, that the challenge is sustainable, it will declare the Will void and set it aside.Continue Reading Fortify Your Will: Safeguards to Ensure that Your Will is Validated