All guides
Who inherits under Hindu, Christian, Parsi and Muslim law, how to make a valid will, succession certificates, nominee vs legal heir, gift and inheritance tax rules in India in 2026.
Succession rules, documents and costs
- Daughters' rights in ancestral property: the 2005 amendment and Vineeta Sharma explained
A Hindu daughter as coparcener by birth under section 6, what Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma (2020) decided, and a worked share example.
- Hindu Succession Act Class I heirs: who inherits without a will, and in what shares
Class I and Class II heirs under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and how shares are worked out for a man or woman dying without a will.
- Indian Succession Act for Christians and Parsis: shares of the spouse, children and parents
How the Indian Succession Act divides a Christian or Parsi estate without a will, worked share examples, and its will rules for everyone.
- Inheritance law in India 2026: who inherits, which documents you need and what it costs
Who inherits in India under each personal law, with or without a will, which documents you need, what it costs and the 2026 tax position.
- Muslim inheritance in India: the one-third will rule, fixed shares and gifts (hiba)
Muslim inheritance in India: the one-third limit on a wasiyat, bequests to heirs, common fixed shares and gifts by hiba, with examples.
- Probate in India after 2025: section 213 omitted, and when you still need probate
Section 213 of the Indian Succession Act was omitted in December 2025. When probate is still useful, the procedure and an illustrative cost.
- Succession certificate vs legal heir certificate vs letters of administration: which one you need
Legal heir certificate, succession certificate, probate or letters of administration: who issues each, costs, timelines and which you need.
Planning, worked examples and checklists
- Bank nomination rules 2026: up to four nominees, simultaneous or successive
Up to four bank nominees since 1 November 2025: simultaneous or successive nomination, lockers, what a nominee gets and worked examples.
- How to claim a deceased person's bank account in 2026: RBI's ₹15 lakh threshold and 15-day rule
Claiming a deceased person's bank account under RBI's 2026 rules: nominee route, the ₹15 lakh simplified procedure, wills, 15-day deadline.
- Demat and mutual fund nomination: SEBI rules, multiple nominees and transmission to heirs
Demat and mutual fund nominations under SEBI rules: multiple nominees, opt-out, transmission after death and why nominees hold for heirs.
- EPF and life insurance nomination: who can be nominated and who finally gets the money
EPF nominations limited to family members, section 39 beneficial nominees in life insurance, MWPA policies, claims and common mistakes.
- Estate planning checklist for Indian families: will, nominations, documents and tax in 2026
Estate planning checklist for India: a valid will, bank, demat, MF, EPF and insurance nominations, a document file and tax, with an example.
- Gift tax rules in India 2026: gifts from relatives, the ₹50,000 limit and clubbing
When gifts are taxed under the Income-tax Act, 2025: relatives exempt, the ₹50,000 rule for others, property gifts, stamp duty and clubbing.
- How to make a valid will in India: section 63, two witnesses, registration and costs
How to make a valid will in India: section 63, two witnesses, executor, optional registration, sealed deposit, codicils and typical costs.
- HUF basics: how a Hindu Undivided Family works, its tax position and partition
How a Hindu Undivided Family works: coparceners, members and karta, HUF tax under the 2025 Act, succession on death and partition rules.
- Tax on inherited property in India: no inheritance tax, but capital gains when you sell
No inheritance tax in India, but capital gains on sale: previous owner's cost and holding period, and a worked example for an inherited flat.
Failure cases, family disputes and official sources
- Maintenance, alimony and streedhan in India: what a wife can claim, under which law
Maintenance and alimony under BNSS s. 144, the Hindu Marriage Act and other laws, how courts fix amounts, and how to recover streedhan.
- Free legal aid for inheritance, divorce and maintenance cases: NALSA 15100 and your DLSA
Free legal aid for inheritance, divorce and maintenance cases: who qualifies under section 12, how to apply to the DLSA, Lok Adalat, 15100.
- Inheritance and will mistakes in India: 12 failure cases and how to avoid them
Twelve common inheritance and will mistakes in India, from missing witnesses to outdated nominations and pressured release deeds, with fixes.
- Nominee vs legal heir in India: what the Supreme Court has decided, asset by asset
Does a nominee own the money? Supreme Court rulings from Sarbati Devi to Shakti Yezdani, RBI's trustee rule and the insurance exception.
- Official sources for family and inheritance law in India: where to check the Acts and rules
Where to read India's succession Acts, gazette amendments, RBI and SEBI nomination rules, tax law, judgments and state fee schedules.
- Senior Citizens Act 2007: claiming maintenance from children and cancelling a property transfer
Claiming maintenance from children under the Senior Citizens Act, 2007: the ₹10,000 cap, tribunal procedure and section 23 transfer cancellation.