Property & Succession

Who is the legitimate claimant when the bank deposit/insurance amount of a deceased person is claimed simultaneously by both the nominee on the one hand and the legal heir on the other? The laws have no specific provision to differentiate between legitimacy of a nominee and a legal heir in receiving the deposit/insurance amount of the deceased person. But a few case laws shed light on the issue.

Even if the second marriage of a Hindu under Hindu Marriage Act is held to be void, the children born out of the void wedlock are also entitled for terminal benefits of the deceased, says Kerala High Court in Anita v Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd.

The High Court of Kerala, in paragraph 17 of the judgement, in Babu R v State of Kerala [2024:KER:84934] on the above findings, formulated guidelines to be followed by the Revenue Officers under the Transfer of Registry rules (TR Rules) while considering the mutation) of the property on the basis of Will or testamentary succession.

A valid gift, which cannot normally be revoked, can be revoked under specified eventualities enumerated in Section 126 of the Transfer of Property Act 1882, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Tajuddin v Tamil Nadu Khadi and Village Industries Board (2024 (6) KLT SN 14 SC].

In regard to service of summons to Indian residing outside India, a Three Judge Bench of the High Court of Kerala laid down the following conclusions in Charuvila Philipose Sundaran Pillai & Another v P. N. Sivadasan & Other.

Possession, in regard to immoveable property, can be classified into ten categories and they are listed with a brief description of each category.

The limitation period for a specific performance suit will run from the date fixed for the performance of the contract but not from the expiry of the validity of the agreement., says the Supreme Court (SC) in Usha Devi & Others v Ram Kumar Singh & Others [2024 INSC 599].

The succession process cannot go forward without a determination of the dispute regarding the Will, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Dinesh Goyal @ Pappu v Suman Agarwal (Bindal) & Others [ 2024 INSC 726].

A conjoint reading of Sections 17, 18, 32, 34 and 35 enjoins to the clear inference that upon a document, which is compulsorily registerable as provided u/s 17, the registering authority, upon satisfying himself that the document is presented by the proper person and being satisfied with the same as per the provision provided u/s 34 is bound to admit the document for registration, unless contrary to the aforesaid provisions unfolds, which alone could cause the registering authority to deny execution of the document, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Satya Pal Anand v State of Madhya Pradesh & Others.

Any property or a share in any joint property owned by a minor, cannot be sold or disposed of by other means, by the natural guardian of the minor, without taking permission from the court. The disposal of property of a minor or creating a charge on it, by the natural guardian under Hindu law is governed by Section 8 of HMGA and Section 29 of the HMGA.

Adverse possession is a peculiar kind of possession of land where a person not having legal title to the land enters and occupies the land for long period with no continuing permission of the legal owner and the true owner subsequently loses his ownership rights after a legally permissible period of his inaction in recovering the possession from the possessor. The owner might have initially permitted the possessor in entering the land on the basis of a lease or licence.