Property & Succession Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Lawwatch : Legal Resources for Learners

PoA to Relatives requires no Registration in Kerala

By K Rajasekharan 22 December 2021Property & Succession

The Section 17 (1)(g) of the Registration Act 1908 added by a state amendment by Kerala stipulates that registration is required for a power of Attorney (PoA) meant for transaction of immoveable property except by those executed by some specified close relatives as stated below.

Succession Rules applicable to Indian Christians

By K Rajasekharan 8 December 2021Property & Succession

The law that lays down the rules of distribution of property of a Christian dying intestate (without making a Will), is the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (ISA). The Indian Succession Act, 1865, Cochin Christian Succession Act, 1921, Travancore Christian Succession Act, 1916 etc applicable to Christians in the past were repealed and consolidated into ISA.

Lease and License: The Fundamental Difference

By K Rajasekharan 3 December 2021Property & Succession

There is marked distinctions between a lease and a licence though many would think both have no much differences. At one time it was thought that if a person was given exclusive possession of a premises, it would conclusively establish that he was a lessee. The exclusive possession considered to be an infallible test to decide whether it is a license or not, is no longer an infallible one. The key test now is the intention of the parties involved.

Legal Heirship Certificate not for Property Transfer

By K Rajasekharan 1 December 2021Property & Succession

An heirship certificate serves the purpose of identifying the relationship of the heirs to the deceased person. Legal Heirship Certificate is issued by the revenue officers of the executive government - in Kerala it is the Tahsildar - based on the enquiry made by his junior revenue official – the Village Officer. The certificate can be used for drawing an amount not exceeding Rs five lakh as of now. The Legal Heirship Certificate however has some sanctity in revealing the legal heirs of the deceased.

All about Succession Certificate

By K Rajasekharan 1 December 2021Property & Succession

The term succession refers to the process by which the legal heirs acquire the property of the deceased. A Succession Certificate (SC) however is the one that is granted exclusively in respect of “debts and securities” such as Provident Fund, Bank Deposit, Insurance, Shares etc to which the deceased was entitled to, as per Section 370 read with Section 214 of the Indian Succession Act. Therefore, one can apply for a SC only in respect of debts and securities.

Legal Validity of Plain Paper Agreements

By K Rajasekharan 26 November 2021Property & Succession

The essential conditions of a valid contract are informed consent, consideration and lawful object and such agreements are enforceable under the Indian Contract Act, 1872. Even oral agreements are valid in India, as per the act. The Contract Act does not make stamping of agreements compulsory. It does not make an unstamped agreement/contract thereby invalid or unenforceable. Therefore, an agreement does not require mandatory stamping to make it a legal and valid instrument.

Law on Co-owner selling his Undivided Share

By K Rajasekharan 22 November 2021Civil law, Property & Succession

A co-owner in a joint property can sell his undivided share of property to anyone. But he cannot sell the specific piece of land with marked boundaries from the joint property. A selling of a share of property by co-owner in essence means the buyer steps into the shoes of his seller. The buyer is clothed with all the rights and liabilities of his transferor. So, the buyer becomes as much a co-owner as his transferor was before the property transfer.

Trust in India : Its legal Framework

By K Rajasekharan 10 November 2021Civil law, Property & Succession

Trust is the asset or property entrusted by the Settler (the author of the trust) to the Trustees who manages it for the benefit of the beneficiaries of the Trust. In other words, the Settler entrusts the property to the Trustees for the beneficiaries in a Trust.

Paying Land Tax Confers no Title to the Land Owner

By K Rajasekharan 9 September 2021Property & Succession

Mutation is the last event in the transfer of property from one person to another. Execution of the transfer deed and its registration are the two events that take place normally before the event of mutation. Mutation indicates the change of the name of the land holder for the purpose of making payment of land tax to the government. Mutation happens on three occasions: when a sale takes place, when an owner dies with a Will, or when an owner dies intestate without leaving a Will.

Owner can Transfer his Property during Litigation

By K Rajasekharan 13 July 2021Civil law, Property & Succession

When a property is under a pending court case, the property can be transferred to a third party without court's prior permission, if there is no specific court order prohibiting its transfer. In such a transfer, the transferee is bound by the ensuing judgement of the suit. This principle is called lis pendens in law.

Power of Attorney & Its legal Provisions

By K Rajasekharan 9 June 2021Civil law, Property & Succession

A Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal instrument signed or executed by a person who, by this instrument, empowers another person to act for or perform something on his behalf. The person gives authority is called as the donor or principal, the person so authorised is called donee or agent. The legal authority given by the principal to the agent may be broad or limited. The agent can legally do what he is specifically authorised to do by the instrument in clear terms. The power of attorney should be clear and understandable. There may be possibility of giving ‘Power Of Attorney’ by two or more persons jointly to one or more persons.