relinquishment deed
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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 17th January, 2022 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My sister is an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India). Our father passed away recently. He was a resident of India. My sister wants to relinquish her rights to our father’s property in my favor. The property is located in India. Will my sister need to visit India for making the relinquishment deed, or can she do it from abroad?

-S. SinhaContinue Reading Can a relinquishment deed be sent from abroad?

What happens to the FD account if the deposit holder dies
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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 8th November, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

If the first account holder of a fixed deposit dies, who will become the owner of the account? Is it the second account holder or all the legal heirs of the first account holder?

—Name withheld on request

Continue Reading What happens to the FD account if the deposit holder dies?

Two witnesses need to be present for executing a gift deed
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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 10th November, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My father wants to transfer our house to my sister as a gift deed. I’m willing to sign a no objection certificate for the same. My father cannot hold a steady hand while writing or signing and is not able to get up on his own, let alone walk. The house is in my father’s name. My sister has been caring for my mother and father for years now. Somebody said that we should hire a pro for video recording if my father cannot go to the registration office to sign the gift deed. It could cost 30,000-40,000. Would his thumb impression taken at home be enough? What is the right process to follow?

—Name withheld on requestContinue Reading Two witnesses need to be present for executing a gift deed

A will can help in ensuring smooth transition of assets
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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 27th October, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My question is regarding my share in a house built by my father. The said house was built in 1990 and registered in the name of my mother and my elder brother (I was a minor then). My father passed away in 2016 and all immovable assets were transferred in my mother’s name. My mother has always maintained that all her assets, movable and immovable, be shared equally between us brothers. She has not made any Will and I do not feel comfortable asking her to make one either. My question is that in the absence of any Will, what is my share in the said house? Since the house is registered jointly in the name of my brother and my mother, she legally owns half of the house. Will my share amount to half of her share, i.e 50% of 50% = 25% or will it be her complete share, i.e 50%?

—Name withheld on requestContinue Reading A will can help in ensuring smooth transition of assets

A family settlement agreement offers a hassle-free solution
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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 October, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

We are two brothers and one sister. In the event of our parent’s demise, we brothers stand to inherit some immovable property and we plan to pay some amount to our sister in settlement. What is the right way to execute this?

⁠— Name with held on requestContinue Reading A family settlement agreement offers a hassle-free solution

The rights of a legal heir supersede the rights of a nominee
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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 07th July, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My father and mother passed away after they came down with covid. My father had made a registered Will in 2015. According to that document, my nephew has been named the claimant of all his liquid assets. However, after 2015, my father declared me as his nominee in almost all his bank accounts. Under these circumstances, who is the rightful claimant of my father’s liquid assets, my nephew or myself?

—Name withheld on requestContinue Reading The rights of a legal heir supersede the rights of a nominee

Registration of immovable property must for valid, marketable title
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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 7th June, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My elder sister and I are the only two surviving legal heirs of our father, who had passed away in 1973. We are cultivating our father’s share in some land in farming in our ancestral village in Punjab. The mutations are still continuing in the joint names of our father and his brothers.

As we are now senior citizens we are looking to consolidating these landholdings. My sister has two sons and I have two sons. She may not wish to have any share transferred in her name, but would prefer to gift the same to me or to my sons. How should I proceed to obtain mutations in our names? Will it be necessary to first transfer the property in our names and thereafter further apply for transfer of her share to me or my sons?

– Name withheld
Continue Reading Registration of immovable property must for valid, marketable title

A nominee is obligated to hand over the assets to the Legal Heir
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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 28th April, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

My father passed away at the age of 79 in February. In his will, he has mentioned 50:50 share to both the sons. My mother passed away seven years ago. These are the queries…

Continue Reading A nominee is obligated to hand over the assets to the legal heir

Amul India - Oprah Meghan Markle
Image Source : Amul India

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following article which was published by Family and Businesses Magazine and the online edition of the same can be found here.

By now, many of us would have seen the explosive interview between the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, with television talk-show royalty Orpah Winfrey. The focus of the interview was on the troubled relationship that Mrs. Markle has with the Royal Family and Her Majesty The Queen, and her difficulties in settling into the roles expected of her. At its simplest, apart from being an exit interview of a disgruntled ‘employee,’ the interview echoed what many Indian spouses go through when they marry into a family business – to quote the New York Times – “The struggles of a glamorous, independent outsider joining an established, hidebound and sometimes baffling family firm”.
Continue Reading Meghan Markle, Her Majesty, Oprah & The ‘Firm’: What Can Indian Family Businesses Learn from Them?

Examining the gift deed is key prior to any legal challenge
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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 14th April, 2021 and the online edition of the same can be found here.

I am 76 and in the process of writing my will. At present, I have a residential apartment in my name, along with my wife and elder daughter. As per my will, can I assign this property to my wife and younger daughter (and not my elder daughter)?