a woman/daughter will be considered a joint legal heir like a son
Supreme Court's decision regarding ancestral property
Vineeta Sharma vs Rakesh Sharma, 2020
• The Supreme Court held that a woman/daughter will be considered a joint legal heir like a son and can inherit ancestral property on par with a male heir, even after the coming into force of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005. Earlier the father was not alive.
Note: In June 2022, the Supreme Court in Katukandi Edathil Krishnan and Others vs. Katukandi Edathil Valson and Others ruled that children born to partners in a live-in relationship can be considered legitimate. It is kind of conditional that the relationship should be long term and not of a 'casual' nature.
■ This judgment in Revanasiddappa v. Mallikarjuna, 2011 was delivered in the context of a two-judge bench ruling that children born out of a void/void marriage are entitled to inherit the property of their parents, Whether the property is self-acquired or ancestral.