CHAPTER II INTESTATE SUCCESSION · General

Section 10: Distribution of property among heirs in class I of the Schedule

The Hindu Succession Act, 1956

The property of an intestate shall be divided among the heirs in class I of the Schedule in accordance with the following rules:―

Rule 1.―The intestate’s widow, or if there are more widows than one, all the widows together, shall take one share.

Rule 2.―The surviving sons and daughters and the mother of the intestate shall each take one share.

Rule 3.―The heirs in the branch of each pre-deceased son or each pre-deceased daughter of the intestate shall take between them one share.

Rule 4.―The distribution of the share referred to in Rule 3—

(i) among the heirs in the branch of the pre-deceased son shall be so made that his widow (or widows together) and the surviving sons and daughters get equal portions; and the branch of his pre-deceased sons gets the same portion;

(ii) among the heirs in the branch of the pre-deceased daughter shall be so made that the surviving sons and daughters get equal portions.

Questions on this section

3 questions in 10 of our papers cite Section 10. Try these from the free papers:

1. A male Hindu dies intestate leaving two widows (both marriages being valid), one son and his mother. Under Section 10 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the share of each widow in his property is:

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