Supreme Court of India ruled that a person accused of murder or abetment cannot inherit the victim’s property, even during a pending trial. The court said the disqualification under the Hindu Succession Act applies to both intestate and testamentary succession based on principles of justice and equity
The Supreme Court has said it will move cautiously on challenges to provisions of the Hindu Succession Act, stressing the need to balance women’s inheritance rights with Hindu social structure. It referred petitions on Sections 15 and 16 to mediation.
The suit was dismissed on the ground that the land along with the house sought to be partitioned is an agricultural land on which the appellants cannot claim any right.
The main scheme of this Act is to establish complete equality between male and female with regard to property rights and the rights of the female were declared absolute, completely abolishing all notions of a limited estate.
