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Smt. Dipo v. Wassan Singh, 1983
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Smt. Dipo v. Wassan Singh 1983
Introduction
The present appeal by Special Leave Petition before Supreme Court was raised by the plaintiff over an Order of the Punjab & Haryana HC. The Court in this case (Smt. Dipo v. Wassan Singh) had elaborately discussed the position of an ancestral property after partition.
Facts
In this case the appellant, Smt. Dipo (plaintiff) filed a suit to recover possession of the properties which belonged to her brother, Bua Singh, who died in 1952. She claimed to be her nearest heir of Bua Singh. The suit was contested by the defendants who were the sons of Ganda Singh, paternal uncle of Bua Singh on the ground that Smt. Dipo was not the sister of Bua Singh and even if she was the sister, the defendants were preferential heirs according to custom, as the whole of the land was ancestral in the hands of Bua Singh.
Case History
- Subordinate Judge – Most of the suit properties were ancestral in hands of Bua Singh while a few were not ancestral. According to custom, the sister was excluded by collaterals in ancestral property while she was entitled to succeed to non-ancestral property. A decree was granted in favor of the plaintiff (Smt. Dipo) for a certain share in non ancestral properties.
- District Court- The plaintiff appeal was dismissed on the ground that plaintiff did not present.
- Punjab & Haryana High Court- The defendants also preferred an appeal ,but that was also dismissed. A second appeal by the plaintiff was dismissed as barred by limitation.
Supreme Court
Issue
1. Whether the plaintiff is entitled to possession of brother’s property by survivorship because there was no surviving member of Joint Family or male issue?
2. How will the property of sole surviving member will devolve after his death?
Ratio Decidendi
1. Ancestral Property in Mulla’s “Principles of Hindu Law” - A person inheriting property from his three immediate paternal ancestors.
2. The share obtained by a coparcener from an ancestral property through partition becomes a separate property.
3. Rule of survivorship applies on the death of the Coparcener, it passes to his nearest heir.
Decision
1. If the Coparcener dies without having a male issue, the property owned by him after partitioning the ancestral property becomes his separate property and passes to his heirs by succession.
2. The defendants were collaterals of Bua Singh and as regard them the property was not ‘ancestral property’ therefore the plaintiff (Smt. Dipo) will be the preferential heirs.
3. After the death of Bua Singh, the property will be devolved by rule of survivorship to his nearest heir (his sister- Smt. Dipo).
Case Summary
In this case the court had discussed about the application of the rule of survivorship on ancestral property having no male issue. The criteria is that the share which a Coparcener obtains on partition of ancestral property is ancestral property as regards his male issue and if such Coparcener dies without leaving his male issue, it becomes a separate property and will be passes to his heirs by succession. Here Bua Singh the last holder of the joint family property had ancestral property. He died without leaving male issue, therefore, it is a separate property and will be passes to his heirs by succession or rule of survivorship. Accordingly Smt. Dipo was entitled as his nearest heir.
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