In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has clarified that a widow does not have full rights to her husband’s property after his death. The court stated that while a Hindu woman can benefit from her deceased husband’s property, she does not inherit complete ownership.
Justice Pratibha M. Singh noted that a Hindu woman without her own income can enjoy her husband’s property for her lifetime, but her rights are limited. This ruling emerged from a property dispute involving a widow and her husband’s siblings. The trial court had previously ruled in favor of the siblings and granddaughter, asserting that the property was transferred to the wife based on the husband’s will.
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The will, dated January 1989, explicitly granted the wife rights to the property, including the ability to collect rent and use it, but prohibited her from selling it. Legal expert Pramod Chaudhary emphasized that under the Hindu Succession Act of 1956, a wife has no claim to her husband’s or in-laws’ ancestral property and only receives a share equivalent to that of her husband.
Supreme Court lawyer Asghar Khan added that if a person designates their wife as a nominee in a will, the property is transferred to her. However, in cases where there is no will, the estate is divided equally between the husband’s family and the wife. This ruling underscores the complexities surrounding property rights for Hindu widows in India.
