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Rishabh Shroff

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Co-Head and Partner in the Private Client Practice at the Mumbai office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Rishabh specialises in family constitutions and settlements, trusts, wills and succession planning. He can be reached at rishabh.shroff@cyrilshroff.com

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Blog Image_Why Family Offices need to think beyond money

The Rockefellers are quite possibly the most well-known industrialist family in modern history, whose family name is synonymous with staggering wealth and power. Starting in 1882, the Rockefellers set up an office of trained professionals to handle their wealth. Although never formally called a “family office”, this idea was the seed that gave rise to the concept in modern times as several wealthy families began to follow suit.…
Continue Reading Why Family Offices need to think beyond money: The importance of Family Governance – Part 1

Destroy older will if you make a new one with revisions

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 04th November, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

I made a will and got it duly registered, declaring my wife as the executor and trustee. After her demise, my daughter and son will be the executors and trustees. Both my children will have absolute discretion to whom they give their shares during their lifetime or after their demise. Is the format alright?

—Sehgal

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Continue Reading Destroy older will if you make a new one with revisions

A testator doesn’t have to submit her will to sub-registrar’s office

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 20th October, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My mother in 1987 had made a will which was not registered and was in favour of my elder sister, who is not married. My lawyer says that the unregistered will made in 1987 is valid. Please confirm this. Also, my elder sister, who is now 78, wants to make a will in my favour. My lawyer says that the will has to be registered, as currently unregistered wills are not valid. My lawyer states that my sister has to visit the registry office, and it will not be possible for the official to come home to get the signature. Please advise.

—Name withheld on request

We assume that your sister is a Hindu by faith and, hence, certain rules will apply accordingly. Testamentary succession for Hindus is governed under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. A will is very simple to make—all you need to do is put your signature onto a typed (preferred option) will, which would then need to be signed by two witnesses. It is not mandatory to register a will in India (irrespective of whether you are bequeathing immovable or movable properties).…
Continue Reading A testator doesn’t have to submit her will to sub-registrar’s office

Land inherited from biological or adopted mother is not considered ancestral property
As a daughter your right to claim a share in your father’s self-acquired property would arise if your father were to die intestate. Image Source: Livemint.com

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 7th October, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

We are two sisters and our father inherited a residential property from his mother through a will. He willed the whole property to my elder sister under pressure. Can my father give the property to one of the two legal heirs, leaving nothing for the other?

—SB…
Continue Reading Land inherited from biological or adopted mother is not considered ancestral property

A patient enacting a will from hospital must have the doctor as one witness
A close up of a man signing his last will and testament (istockphoto)

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 22nd September, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

One of my uncles is in hospital, getting treatment for covid-19. As his condition is serious, he is planning to make a will. How should he go about making a will that cannot be challenged in the court on the grounds of his mental health?

—Name withheld on request…
Continue Reading A patient enacting a will from hospital must have the doctor as one witness

A daughter has an equal right to that of a son on ancestral property
Photo: iStock

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 1st September, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My husband has one brother and one sister. Due to some family issues between my mother-in-law and me, we are not in contact since 2013. In 2017, we came to know that my father-in-law has given all his retirement money to my brother-in-law to purchase a flat worth ₹24 lakh. My in-laws stayed in their ancestor property. Can we get a share in this ancestral property?

—Name withheld on request…
Continue Reading A daughter has an equal right to that of a son on ancestral property

Class I heirs of a woman dying intestate are her husband and children
Photo: iStock

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 18th August, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My father-in-law had a flat. After his death, the house was transferred in my mother-in-law’s name. He didn’t leave any will. After my mother-in-law dies, will the house be divided and given to their three children or can she give it to any one of them?

—Name withheld on request

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Continue Reading Class I heirs of a woman dying intestate are her husband and children

Photo by Robert Eklund on Unsplash

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article which was published by Moneycontrol.com on 12th August, 2020 and the same can be found here.

The Indian judiciary continues to take progressive steps towards making succession law more women friendly. In the landmark case of Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma (Judgment), a 3 judge Bench of the Supreme Court (SC), on August 11th, 2020, held that daughters would have equal coparcenary rights same as that of a son in a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). The SC clarified two points:

    • Coparcenary rights are acquired by a daughter at birth; and

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Continue Reading What is the impact, do wives benefit and other questions about SC ruling giving daughters equal rights over their father’s property answered

A handwritten will signed by two witnesses is considered valid

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 5th August, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My father passed away intestate. We are three siblings. My mother and I live in the house owned by my father, and I want this property to be transferred in my mother’s name. My brother and my sister live separately. Is there a way in which the house can be transferred to my mother without any involvement of my brother?

—Omkar

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Continue Reading A handwritten will signed by two witnesses is considered valid

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES & WILLS

The Supreme Court in the case of Kavita Kanwar v. Mrs. Pamela Mehta (“Kavita Kanwar case”), has extensively discussed certain key factors that may render a will surrounded by suspicious circumstances as invalid.

While drafting, a will may bring up feelings of discomfort, it is one of the key elements of estate planning and ensures that the testator’s wishes for distribution of his or her assets is met. Additionally, it brings about a sense of security in the testator in relation to their assets, and when considered, the advantages of drafting a will, outweigh the temporary discomfort caused by the process.…
Continue Reading Suspicious Circumstances & Wills