The Supreme Court has rejected a son’s claim to exclusive ownership of his late father’s properties, holding that his stepmother had acquired a legally recognised interest in the property and was subsequently entitled to transfer it to her daughter, reported The Economic Times.
The case concerned two houses in Terdal village in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district. The dispute arose after the man’s stepmother, Kashibai, transferred the properties through a Will to her daughter, Shakuntala, who was the son’s stepsister.
The Supreme Court, in its September 22, 2026 judgment, held that Kashibai’s interest in the properties, which initially arose under the Hindu Women’s Rights to Property Act, 1937, was converted into absolute ownership under Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956.
How the property dispute began
The dispute dates back to the death of Gangaram, the father of Ganapati, in 1949. Gangaram’s widow, Kashibai, survived him and died in 1986.
Before her death, Kashibai executed a Will bequeathing the disputed properties to her daughter Shakuntala.
After receiving the properties, Shakuntala approached the revenue authorities to have the mutation records changed in her name.
Ganapati learned about the change in ownership after the mutation was recorded and challenged it in court.
He claimed exclusive rights over two properties left by his father, arguing that, as a Hindu male governed by Mitakshara law, he was entitled to the properties as his father's son.
During the litigation, Shakuntala also sold one of the disputed properties to Baburao.
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