The Supreme Court is set to straighten out the confusion concerning interpretations of property rights granted to Hindu women under Section 14 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. Significantly, this judgment will try to solve whether a Hindu wife inherits full ownership right to property bequeathed by her husband, even when a will includes restrictions on the property rights.
A two-judge bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta referred the question to a larger bench to settle the issue which has led to as many as 20 judgments in the past six decades.
The bench had said that the issue is of ‘utmost importance’ as it affects the rights of every Hindu woman and her larger family.
“The issue is of utmost importance as it affects the rights of every Hindu female, her larger family and such claims and objections that may be pending consideration in almost all original and appellate courts across the length and breadth of the country,” the apex court observed.
The judgement will solve issues beyond legal semantics as for millions of Hindu women the interpretation of Section 14 might be able to determine whether they can sell, transfer or use the property bequeathed to them without any interference.
