Photo of Rishabh Shroff

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

joint power of attorney
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 29th June, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

I am the sole owner of a plot of land. Can I write a joint power of attorney to my two sons so as to enable them to sell or register that by mutual agreement and later share the amount?

— Name withheld on requestContinue Reading How do I give a joint power of attorney to my sons to sell land?

Property Law
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 14th June, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

I am an Indian, but my brother settled down in Bangladesh 30 years ago and is now a citizen there. He wants to gift me the property that he inherited here after the demise of our father. What is the process for this transaction?

— Name withheld on requestContinue Reading Can my brother living in Bangladesh gift me land inherited here?

How is the gifting of money or property to a relative taxed
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 7th June, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

I want to gift money to my elder brother. What will be the tax implications. Can I also gift immovable property to my brother?

— Name withheld on requestContinue Reading How is the gifting of money or property to a relative taxed?

Can my mother who is not a coparcener be karta in HUF
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 25th May, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

My father, who was the karta of our HUF (Hindu undivided family), with my mother, elder sister and I as members, died two years ago. Thereafter, the bank where the HUF account is held is insisting on transferring it only to my elder sister.

Under the circumstances, is there any possibility for my mother to become the karta of the HUF? What is the relevant legal section that needs to be quoted for necessitating a transfer to my mother’s name? Additionally, will there be a change in the PAN (permanent account number)  after transfer of the HUF? Will it also lead to a change in the name of the HUF? 

—Name withheld on request Continue Reading Can my mother who is not a coparcener be karta in HUF?

Can I show my rental income in HUF account
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 16th May, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

I am the karta of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) firm. My coparceners are my wife and son. I am retired and only have rental income from a house inherited from my mother through her probated will. 

Can I show my rental income in my HUF bank account? And, as and when I sell that house, can I show the sale proceeds in the HUF account? For this, do I need to transfer the  house to HUF? If yes, then what is the procedure? Isn’t the property automatically treated as HUF property, as I am also the karta of the HUF? 

What process is required to be followed in case the property is to be bequeathed after the demise of the testator which is as per the registered Will in Delhi after the mutation has been done in the municipal records. It needs to be further clarified whether the process of probate is also to be followed in Delhi or if a succession certificate is sufficient and who would issue the same?

Continue Reading Can I show my rental income in HUF account?

Leaving on Jet Plane Key Legal Considerations for Business Owners Migrating Abroad

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…’

-John Denver

The opening line of John Denver’s iconic song ‘Leaving on a jet plane’ may seem prosaic at first glance, but it describes the single most important act before embarking on any journey – packing your bags! While packing for a vacation in Monaco or St. Tropez is fairly easy, ‘packing’ for an offshore migration is likely to parachute you into a regulatory and compliance maze.Continue Reading Leaving on Jet Plane – Key Legal Considerations for Business Owners Migrating Abroad

gift deed
Source: Livemint.com

The following article was first published in the Mint newspaper on 23rd April, 2022. The same was written by our Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, who frequently publish their comments and opinions in the Mint. The online version of the article can be found here.

I have a query regarding a gift deed. My father-in-law wants to gift his flat to my wife vide gift deed, but he stays abroad. Can he execute the gift deed in the Indian embassy over there?

The other option is he has already registered a power of attorney in his son’s name to sell the property, so can his son come to India and execute the gift deed?

– Name withheld on requestContinue Reading Can a gift deed be executed in India on behalf of someone who stays abroad?

How legal heirs can find out investments of their deceased kin
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 20th April, 2022 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

I lost a friend a few days ago. I know that he had invested in stocks and mutual funds (MFs) but his family is unaware of this. What is the procedure by which his family can know about all the investments he had made prior to his death?

— Kartik SharmaContinue Reading How legal heirs can find out investments of their deceased kin

Succession Toolkit

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions in an article, which was published by the Outlook Money on 1st April, 2022 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

Intestate succession planning laws in India are unfavourable for women. So, women must use the tools available and become the decision-makers in how their assets are transferred. The Covid pandemic has shown that life is fragile, and tragedy can strike any time. In the course of conversations with clients, we find that most women do not undertake succession planning, and even fewer understand the need for an estate plan. This is mainly due to lack of awareness, and because they usually tend to look to their husbands and/or other family members to deal with their assets. This needs to change, especially at a time when women are becoming wealth creators in their own right and are increasingly running large family businesses. Many women today are also inheriting valuable portions of the family business.

One can execute a Will just by signing it and having it attested by two witnesses. There is no requirement for having the Will mandatorily registered in India

Continue Reading Your Succession Toolkit

Intestate
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 24th March, 2022 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

How will the property of a man who has died intestate and is survived by an elder brother having sons and a daughter, besides the sons of a predeceased elder sister,  be divided? Do the sons of the late sister have equal rights as those of the elder brother?

—Name withheld on request Continue Reading Who is the legal heir of a man dying intestate?