M. Iyyanar vs Kalvikarasi on 24 July, 2026

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    Madras High Court

    M. Iyyanar vs Kalvikarasi on 24 July, 2026

    Author: N. Sathish Kumar

    Bench: N. Sathish Kumar

                                                                                       A.S.No.540 of 2024
                                       IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
    
                                                Reserved on     :    16.07.2026
    
                                                Delivered on    :    24.07.2026
    
                                                          CORAM :
    
                                  THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE N. SATHISH KUMAR
                                                               AND
                                      THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE M. JOTHIRAMAN
    
                                                     A.S.No.540 of 2024
                                                            and
                                                   C.M.P.No.16374 of 2024
    
                         1.M.Iyyanar
                         2.Sarala
                         3.S.Kumar
                         4.Chidambaram
                         5.Prabu                                                  ... Appellants
    
                                                               Vs.
    
                         1.Kalvikarasi
                         2.Arivukodi
                         3.Revathi
                         4.Sivaranjani
                         5.Kalavathi
                         6.Sivagami                                               ... Respondents
    
                         Prayer : Appeal Suit filed under Section 96 r/w. Order XLI Rule 1 of the
                         Code of Civil Procedure against the judgment and decree passed by the
                         learned I Additional District Judge, Tindivanam, in O.S.No.43 of 2021,
                         dated 29.09.2023.
    
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                                                                                          A.S.No.540 of 2024
    
    
                                            For Appellants    :   Mr.T.Murugamanickam
                                                                  Senior Counsel
                                                                  for Mr.B.Gurunathan
    
                                            For R1 to R6      :   Mr.P.Sankaranarayanan
    
                                           Amici Curiae       :   Mr.S.Parthasarathy, Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.S.Mukunth, Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.V.Raghavachari, Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.G.Masilamani, Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.R.Sankaranarayanan,
                                                                  Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.P.Valliyappan, Senior Counsel
                                                                  Mr.N.Manokaran
                                                                  Mr.Sharath Chandran
    
    
                                                             JUDGMENT
    

    N. SATHISH KUMAR, J.

    Challenging the decree and judgment of the learned I Additional

    SPONSORED

    District Judge, Tindivanam, in O.S.No.43 of 2021, dated 29.09.2023,

    granting a preliminary decree allotting 1/5 share each to the plaintiffs 1 to 3,

    4, 5 and 6 in Item Nos.4 to 25 of the suit properties; and 1/25 share each in

    Item Nos.1 to 3 of the suit properties; and also declaring the documents

    bearing Nos.2615 of 2013 dated 22.05.2013, 5287 of 2013 dated 09.10.2013,

    5289 of 2013 dated 09.10.2013 and 2710 of 2020 dated 10.07.2020 as null

    and void, all the defendants in the suit have filed the above Appeal.
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    2.For the sake of convenience, the parties are referred to as per their

    ranking before the trial Court.

    3.Following are the brief facts of the plaintiffs’ case :

    The suit properties originally belonged to one Murugesa Gounder. He

    died on 03.06.2007 leaving behind one son, who is the 1st defendant, and

    four daughters, namely, Kalavathi, Sivagami, Sundari and Anbazhagi.

    Sundari died on 16.05.2019. Another daughter Anbazhagi predeceased the

    father on 03.03.1998. The plaintiffs 1 to 3 are the legal heirs of deceased

    Sundari. The 4th plaintiff is the daughter of deceased Anbazhagi.

    4.It is the case of the plaintiffs that the suit properties were acquired

    by the said Murugesa Gounder with the aid of income from ancestral

    properties and hence, the suit properties are ancestral properties. After the

    death of Murugesa Gounder, the 1st defendant (son), without the consent of

    the plaintiffs, alienated various items of the suit properties in favour of

    defendants 2 to 4 by executing three sale deeds and one settlement deed in

    favour of his son, 5th defendant. It is the contention of the plaintiffs that the

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    st
    1 defendant had no exclusive right to deal with the properties and the

    alienations made by the 1st defendant are not binding on the plaintiffs’

    shares. Though the plaintiffs demanded for partition, the 1 st defendant did

    not accede to their request and hence, they filed the present suit seeking

    partition.

    5.The 1st defendant filed his written statement which was adopted by

    the defendants 2 to 5 in the suit. The defendants resisted the suit by

    contending that there had been a family arrangement in the year 2004, in

    which, the daughters were given various movable and immovable properties

    in lieu of their shares and they had accepted for allotting suit Item Nos.4 to

    25 in favour of the 1st defendant. It was further contended that the plaintiffs,

    who are aware of the family arrangement, were estopped from re-opening

    the same. It is the further stand of the defendants that Item Nos.1 to 3 did

    not exclusively belong to Murugesa Gounder, but stood in the name of joint

    patta of Murugesa Gounder and his brothers and therefore, the extent of

    share of Murugesa Gounder is not known. It is also the stand of the

    defendants that the suit is bad for partial partition, as several ancestral

    properties have been deliberately omitted from the plaint schedule. Since

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    necessary parties have not been impleaded, the suit is also bad for non-

    joinder. The defendants also pleaded ouster and adverse possession

    contending that the plaintiffs have been excluded from possession for

    several years and their challenge to the alienations are barred by law.

    6.Based on the above pleadings, the trial Court framed the following

    issues :

    i. Whether the daughters of deceased Murugesa Kounder were
    already allotted with certain movables and immovable
    properties in lieu of their share ?

    ii. Whether such allotment of shares as above has been accepted
    and acted upon by the plaintiffs ?

    iii. Whether the oral partition during chithirai month of 2004 said
    to have been made is true, valid and acted upon ?
    iv. Whether the suit properties have been described properly in
    respect of the shares of deceased Murugesa Kounder ?
    v. Whether the suit is bad for non joinder of necessary parties ?
    vi. Whether the plaintiffs are entitled for partition and allotment of
    1/5 shares to them ?

    vii.Whether the relief of permanent injunction prayed in this suit
    maintainable as the relief vanishes when the suit is disposed ?
    viii. Whether the plaintiffs are entitled for the relief of
    declaration to declare the alienation by way of sale and

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    settlement on various dates on 22.05.2013, 09.10.2013 (two
    transactions) and on 10.07.2000 as null and void as prayed in
    Prayer No.5 ?

    ix. Whether the relief of declaration as null and void in respect of
    transactions dated 09.10.2013 have been made within the
    period of limitation ?

    x. Whether the suit has been valued properly and whether correct
    Court fees has been paid ?

    xi. To what other relief does the plaintiffs are entitled to ?

    7.On the side of the plaintiffs, the 6th plaintiff and 5th plaintiff were

    examined as P.W.1 and P.W.2 respectively and Exs.A1 to A17 were marked.

    On the side of the defendants, the 1 st defendant was examined as D.W.1 and

    one Karunanithi was examined as D.W.2 and Exs.B1 to B3 were marked.

    8.Based on the evidence and materials on record, the trial Court

    granted a preliminary decree allotting 1/5 share each to the plaintiffs 1 to 3,

    4, 5 and 6 in suit Item Nos.4 to 25 and allotting 1/25 share each in suit Item

    Nos.1 to 3 and also annulled the documents dated 22.05.2013, 09.10.2013,

    09.10.2013 and 10.07.2020.

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    9.Challenging the judgment and decree of the trial Court, the

    defendants in the suit have filed the above Appeal.

    10.The main contention raised by Mr.T.Murugamanickam, learned

    Senior Counsel appearing for the appellants, before this Court is that one of

    the daughters in this case, namely, Anbazhagi, predeceased her father on

    03.03.1998, even before the commencement of the Hindu Succession

    (Amendment) Act, 2005, (Act 39 of 2005) i.e., 09.09.2005. It is his

    contention that the children of the predeceased daughter (4 th plaintiff) who

    was not alive as on the date of commencement of Hindu Succession

    (Amendment) Act, 2005, i.e., 09.09.2005, are not entitled to shares as

    coparcener as declared by the trial Court. To claim the benefit under Act 39

    of 2005, the daughters must be alive. Though the status of coparcener was

    extended to the daughters by birth who are born on or before the Act 39 of

    2005, the fact remains that, to claim the benefit of the Act 39 of 2005, the

    daughters who are elevated as coparcener should be alive as on the date of

    commencement of the Amendment Act. Therefore, when the daughter was

    not alive on that date, her children are not entitled to shares that may be

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    allotted to the daughter who was not alive on 09.09.2005. This aspect has

    not been addressed by the trial Court. Further, the learned Senior Counsel

    has also placed reliance on the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in

    Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma and others reported in (2020) 9 SCC 1,

    wherein, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has clearly held that the daughter

    should be alive on 09.09.2005 to claim equal share as that of a son. Hence,

    he would submit that the trial Court’s decision is not proper. At the most,

    according to him, the predeceased daughter’s legal heirs would be entitled to

    1/25 share in the properties, but not as declared by the trial Court.

    11.When an important issue is raised by the learned Senior Counsel

    appearing for the appellants, this Court requested the learned Senior Counsel

    of the Bar to assist the Court to address the issue which has a wide

    ramification.

    12.Accordingly, Mr.S.Parthasarathy, learned Senior Counsel,

    appearing as Amicus Curiae, would submit that the daughter need not be

    alive on the date of enforcement of the amendment for her to claim

    coparcenary right over her father’s property, for the reason that coparcenary

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    is a right that is acquired through birth according to Vineeta Sharma’s case

    and hence, on the date of Act 39 of 2005 came into force, she need not be

    alive since she acquires her right by birth. He relied upon the decision of the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court in Prakash and others v. Phulavathi and others

    reported in (2016) 2 SCC 36 assigning the same reason, which was later

    overruled by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma’s case.

    According to him, the Full Bench of the Bombay High Court in

    Badrinarayan Shankar Bhandari v. Omprakash Shankar Bhandari

    reported in AIR 2014 Bom 151, which holds that the daughter should be

    alive as on the date of commencement of the Amendment Act, had not

    considered the real intention of the legislation. It is his contention that,

    when interpreting a Statute relating to womenfolk, due weightage should be

    given to the Constitutional requirement of equality and status. He further

    discussed the description of the term “living coparcener” in line with the

    judgment in Prakash v. Phulavathi (supra). It is his further contention that

    the right provided in the amendment is not to resurrect the past, but to

    recognise an antecedent event for the conferral of rights, prospectively. It is

    his further contention that the Amendment Act has enlarged Class I of the

    Schedule to add four heirs, viz., the son and daughter of a predeceased

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    daughter of a predeceased daughter, the daughter of a predeceased son of a

    predeceased daughter and the daughter of a predeceased daughter of a

    predeceased son. Thereby, it extended recognition to two generations of a

    predeceased daughter’s line, exactly as had always been the case for a

    predeceased son’s line. Therefore, for all practical purposes, the 2005

    amendment sought to bring about complete parity between the son’s line and

    the daughter’s line, both in life and in death. Hence, he would submit that

    the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma‘s case has held that the

    substituted Section 6 confers the status of coparcener on the daughter born

    before or after the amendment in the same manner as a son, with the same

    rights and liabilities, and the rights can be claimed by a daughter born earlier

    with effect from 09.09.2005 subject to the savings in the proviso to Section

    6(1) and Section 6(5). However, according to him, since the right in

    coparcenary is by birth, it is not necessary that the father coparcener should

    be living as on 09.09.2005; the notional partition under the old proviso never

    disrupted the coparcenary; the daughters must be given equal shares even in

    pending final decree proceedings or appeals notwithstanding a preliminary

    decree; and a plea of oral partition unsupported by public documents cannot

    defeat the daughter’s right. Hence, according to him, a coparcener dying

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    leaving Class I heirs transmits his or her interest ascertained on a notional

    partition by intestate succession to those heirs. Her children, thus, take the

    share she would have held, precisely as the children of a coparcener son

    dying in 1998 would have taken his. Further, according to him, the cut off

    date, i.e., 09.09.2005 is relevant only to see when the right becomes

    enforceable. It does not define the class of persons whose birthright the Act

    recognises. The only exclusions Parliament enacted are the proviso to

    Section 6(1) and Section 6(5). Therefore, it is his contention that the Courts

    should not provide for a further exclusion of daughters dying before

    09.09.2005, which the Statute does not mandate. Since the daughter, by the

    legal fiction, is granted the status of coparcener by birth right in the ancestral

    property being an antecedent, Class I heirs of predeceased daughters are also

    to be treated equal on par with other coparceners.

    13.Mr.N.Manokaran, learned counsel, appearing as Amicus Curiae,

    would submit that a woman, who predeceased before the commencement of

    the amendment, has a coparcenary right in the property, emphasizing that the

    amendment has a retroactive operation and that the children of the

    predeceased daughter would also acquire rights as conferred in the deemed

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    partition after the death of the father. It is his contention that, though a

    widow or daughter, as a Class I heir, was entitled to inherit a share in the

    property of a deceased coparcener, and a widow could also claim a share

    upon partition, a daughter was not recognised as a coparcener. By the

    amendment to Section 6, the goal of gender justice, as constitutionally

    envisaged, is achieved, though belatedly, and the prevailing discrimination is

    taken care of. Hence, according to him, the father need not be alive on the

    date of amendment. Further, since the daughter has been conferred the right

    of coparcener by unobstructed heritage, according to him, the daughter also

    need not be a living coparcener on the date of amendment. Hence, he would

    submit that, denying the shares to the legal heirs of predeceased daughter

    would violate Articles 14, 15 and 39 of the Constitution of India.

    14.Mr.S.Mukunth, learned Senior Counsel appearing as Amicus

    Curiae, pointing out that the predeceased daughter is not entitled to the

    coparcenary right, would submit that Section 6(2) speaks about the incidents

    of coparcenary ownership, whereas Section 6(3) is the tilting point where the

    coparcenary right is recognised. He would further submit that the daughter

    should be alive on the date of 09.09.2005 when the Amendment Act came

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    into effect. He has also relied upon the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court in Prasanta Kumar Sahoo and others v. Charulatha Sahu and

    others reported in (2023) 9 SCC 641 and would submit that the children of

    the predeceased daughter who died prior to the Act coming into force

    certainly are not entitled to share.

    15.Mr.V.Raghavachari, learned Senior Counsel appearing as Amicus

    Curiae, would submit that the object of the amendment is only to extend the

    coparcenary rights to the daughters, but not to include the legal

    representatives of the predeceased daughters. The right granted under

    Section 6(1) of Act 39 of 2005 is disposed of under Section 6(2) and Section

    6(3) speaks about what happens when there is death of a member after

    commencement of the Amendment Act. He would further submit that the

    amendment gives a benefit to the daughters who are alive as on the date of

    the Act coming into force and the Courts cannot substitute something which

    is not contemplated under the Act. He would further submit that, in a similar

    case in R.Muthulakshmi v. Valliammal and others reported in (2021) SCC

    Online Mad 17482, a learned Single Judge of this Court has held that the

    daughter who died prior to the commencement of the amendment is not

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    entitled to equal right. The learned Single Judge has clearly held that a

    daughter who seeks the benefit under Section 6 must be alive as on the date

    when Amendment Act came into force and the daughter would not become a

    coparcener posthumously.

    16.Mr.G.Masilamani, learned Senior Counsel who voluntarily assisted

    the Court as Amicus Curiae, vehemently argued that the law is made and

    handled in two laboratories, viz., the Legislature and Judiciary. The Court

    cannot put the clock back on time. Act 39 of 2005 specifically confers a

    new right by way of amendment which commences from the date of the

    amendment coming into force, i.e., 09.09.2005. It is his contention that,

    without a female heir being alive, the right cannot be conferred on her as on

    the date of commencement of the Act, because a right has to be conferred

    only on a person who is either a natural person or a juristic person, but

    cannot be on dead person. He has also compared it with the service laws

    and would submit that the benefits occur only from a specified date, which

    has to be strictly followed, though it is an artificial line. It is his further

    contention that the rights of a coparcener have their origin in Mitakshara

    law, which also contemplates that, if there is no son, there cannot be a

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    coparcenary right and the same goes for daughters also after the amendment

    by Act 39 of 2005. Hence, according to him, for the right to be crystallised

    in the daughter, she has to be alive on the date of the Act coming into force.

    All the coparceners are to be alive when there is a conferment of right. He

    would further submit that coparcenary is only between the father and

    son/daughter and it cannot be between the brothers and sisters, since where

    the father is predeceased, the right is already created in favour of the son.

    17.Mr.R.Sankaranarayanan, learned Senior Counsel appearing as

    Amicus Curiae, referring to the literary work in Sixteen Stormy Days and the

    Law Commission report which speaks about the opposition to the First

    Amendment to the Constitution, would submit that the application of the

    amendment from the cut-off date becomes a factum valet and becomes a

    narrow construction of exclusion. Referring to the Law Commission’s

    Report, he would submit that the mischief of discrimination against women

    was removed by the Amendment Act. According to him, the only

    interpretation of Sections 6(1) and 6(2) would be that, on the amending Act

    coming into force, a daughter becomes a coparcener by birth. Thus, a legal

    fiction was created, which made the Act applicable to them from the date of

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    their birth. It is his contention that, since an unguided application of

    coparcenary status to every female Hindu on the commencement of the

    amendment would be fraught with certain issues relating to the transactions

    that had taken place from 1956 till 20.12.2004, a cut off date was fixed as

    20.12.2004. The Legislature has therefore conspicuously exempted the

    application of the amendment where the facts in issue fall within the ambit

    of Section 6(5) of the amended Act. Had there been a daughter alive on

    20.12.2004 and the coparcenary property is not affected by any transaction

    mentioned in Section 6(5), then she became a coparcener from the date of

    her birth. Therefore, according to him, any interpretation that brings about

    discrimination against a female Hindu who dies after 20.12.2004 would

    amount to bringing back the mischief through the backdoor.

    18.Mr.P.Valliyappan, learned Senior Counsel appearing as Amicus

    Curiae, would submit that the notional partition contemplated under Section

    6(3) of Act 39 of 2005 must proceed by treating the daughter in the same

    manner as a son. Accordingly, the daughter is notionally allotted a share

    equal to that of a son. Once the daughter’s share is identified, it becomes

    part of her estate. Its devolution is thereafter governed by the ordinary rules

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    of intestate succession under the Hindu Succession Act. Under this

    interpretation, the legal representatives of the predeceased daughter do not

    claim any independent right under Section 6(3). They merely succeed to the

    estate of their deceased predecessor. On this interpretation, the mere fact

    that the daughter died before 09.09.2005 would not defeat the claim of her

    legal representatives. According to him, Section 6(3) is a machinery

    provision. The statutory fiction created by the explanation is intended only

    to determine the share of the deceased coparcener by assuming a partition

    immediately before his death. It does not regulate the subsequent devolution

    of the share so determined. Once the daughter’s share is identified under the

    statutory fiction, it becomes part of her estate. Its devolution thereafter is

    governed by the ordinary rules of intestate succession under the Act. The

    legal representatives of a predeceased daughter therefore do not claim as

    coparceners in their own right, but they claim only as successors to the estate

    of the deceased daughter. He would further submit that a legal fiction must

    be carried to its logical conclusion. If Section 6(3) requires the Court to

    identify the daughter’s share on a notional partition, the ordinary legal

    consequences flowing from such identification cannot thereafter be ignored

    unless the Statute expressly provides otherwise. According to him, if the

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    amendment is construed as creating a new statutory right available only to

    daughters who were alive on 09.09.2005, the claim of the legal

    representatives of a daughter who died before that date, cannot succeed.

    19.Mr.Sharath Chandran, learned counsel appearing as Amicus

    Curiae, would submit that the objective of conferring coparcenary rights on

    a female is not to resurrect the past, but to prospectively recognize an

    antecedent for conferral of rights. Hence, according to him, the daughter

    would step into the coparcenary as that of a son by taking birth before or

    after the Act. However, a daughter born before can claim these rights only

    with effect from the date of the amendment, i.e., 09.09.2005, with saving of

    past transactions as provided in the proviso to Section 6(1) read with Section

    6(5). Hence, according to him, to exercise the rights on or from 09.09.2005,

    conferred retroactively from 1956, the beneficiary of such a right, i.e., the

    daughter, must be alive as on the date of coming into force of the Hindu

    Succession (Amendment) Act. According to him, the Full Bench of the

    Bombay High Court in Badrinarayan Shankar Bhandari’s case (supra) has

    clearly held that the daughter must be alive as on 09.09.2005 to enjoy the

    benefits of the amended Act. It is his further contention that the Hon’ble

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    Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma‘s case did not disturb the finding in

    Prakash v. Phulavathi (supra) that the amended Section 6 would apply only

    if the daughter was alive as on 09.09.2005. He would further point out that a

    learned Single Judge of this Court in Muthulakshmi’s case (supra) has

    questioned, “should a dead person be considered alive for the purpose of

    Section 6 ? This Court does not find anything in Section 6 that enables it to

    accommodate any such amazingly far-fetched interpretation”. Similar view

    was also taken by a learned Single Judge of the Bombay High Court in

    Kamlakar Purushotaminamdar v. Rajani Shriram Madiwale reported in

    (2024) 5 Mah LJ 372, wherein, it is held that the daughter should be alive as

    on 09.09.2005. He further brought to our notice that, subsequently, the said

    judgment of the Bombay High Court has been confirmed by the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court in S.L.P.(C) No.17491 of 2024 [2024 SCC Online SC 2872]

    by order dated 12.08.2024.

    20.Mr.P.Sankaranarayanan, learned counsel appearing for the

    respondents 1 to 6, made his submissions in line with that of

    Mr.S.Parthasarathy, learned Senior Counsel, by stating that the daughter

    need not be alive as on the date of commencement of the Amendment Act to

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    claim the benefit under Section 6 of the amended Act and thereby, the legal

    heirs of the predeceased daughter are also entitled to shares.

    21.In the light of the above submissions, the points that arise for

    consideration in this Appeal are as follows :

    i. Whether, to claim the benefit under Section 6 of the Hindu

    Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 (Act 39 of 2005), the
    daughter should be alive as on the date of commencement of
    the Act, i.e., 09.09.2005 ?

    ii. Whether the shares determined by the trial Court are proper ?

    22.Heard all the learned counsel and perused the entire materials

    available on record.

    Point No.(i) :

    23.The only legal issue is with regard to the right of the legal

    representatives of the predeceased daughter who died before 09.09.2005.

    24.One line of submissions made is that the daughter must be alive on

    the date of commencement of the Amendment Act (Act 39 of 2005), i.e., on

    09.09.2005 to claim the benefit under the said Act. The other line of
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    submissions is that the daughter, who is conferred the benefit retroactively

    from 1956, need not be alive as on the date of commencement of the Act to

    exercise such right.

    25.Submissions were made mainly on the interpretation of the

    judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh

    Sharma and others reported in (2020) 9 SCC 1, which answered the

    reference arising out of the conflicting verdicts rendered by two Division

    Benches of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, one in Prakash and others v.

    Phulavathi and others [(2016) 2 SCC 36] and another in Danamma @

    Suman Surpur and another v. Amar and others [2018 (3) SCC 343]. In

    Prakash v. Phulavathi (supra), the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that the

    rights under the Act 39 of 2005 are applicable to living daughters of living

    coparceners as on 09.09.2005, irrespective of when such daughters are born;

    disposition or alienation including partitions which may have taken place

    before 20.12.2004 as per the law applicable prior to the said date will remain

    unaffected and any transaction of partition effected thereafter will be

    governed by the Explanation. Whereas, in Danamma’s case (supra), the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that the amended provisions of Section 6

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    confer full rights upon the daughter coparcener; any coparcener, including a

    daughter, can claim a partition in the coparcenary property; therefore, though

    the father coparcener is not alive as on the date of commencement of the

    Amendment Act, the daughter is entitled to coparcenary rights.

    26.The larger Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta

    Sharma‘s case, answered the reference as follows :

    “137. Resultantly, we answer the reference as under:

    137.1. The provisions contained in substituted Section 6
    of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 confer status of coparcener
    on the daughter born before or after the amendment in the
    same manner as son with same rights and liabilities.

    137.2. The rights can be claimed by the daughter born
    earlier with effect from 9-9-2005 with savings as provided in
    Section 6(1) as to the disposition or alienation, partition or
    testamentary disposition which had taken place before the 20th
    day of December, 2004.

    137.3. Since the right in coparcenary is by birth, it is not
    necessary that father coparcener should be living as on 9-9-
    2005.

    137.4. The statutory fiction of partition created by the
    proviso to Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 as
    originally enacted did not bring about the actual partition or

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    disruption of coparcenary. The fiction was only for the purpose
    of ascertaining share of deceased coparcener when he was
    survived by a female heir, of Class I as specified in the
    Schedule to the 1956 Act or male relative of such female. The
    provisions of the substituted Section 6 are required to be given
    full effect. Notwithstanding that a preliminary decree has been
    passed, the daughters are to be given share in coparcenary
    equal to that of a son in pending proceedings for final decree or
    in an appeal.

    137.5. In view of the rigour of provisions of the
    Explanation to Section 6(5) of the 1956 Act, a plea of oral
    partition cannot be accepted as the statutory recognised mode
    of partition effected by a deed of partition duly registered under
    the provisions of the Registration Act, 1908 or effected by a
    decree of a court. However, in exceptional cases where plea of
    oral partition is supported by public documents and partition is
    finally evinced in the same manner as if it had been affected
    (sic effected) by a decree of a court, it may be accepted. A plea
    of partition based on oral evidence alone cannot be accepted
    and to be rejected outrightly.”

    27.The Hon’ble Supreme Court, in Para No.80 of Vineeta Sharma’s

    case, while coming to the finding in Prakash v. Phulavathi (supra), did not

    agree with the concept of “living coparcener” as laid down in Prakash v.

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    Phulavathi (supra) and has held as follows :

    “80.A finding has been recorded in Prakash v. Phulavati
    [Prakash
    v. Phulavati, (2016) 2 SCC 36 : (2016) 1 SCC (Civ)
    549] that the rights under the substituted Section 6 accrue to
    living daughters of living coparceners as on 9-9-2005
    irrespective of when such daughters are born. We find that the
    attention of this Court was not drawn to the aspect as to how a
    coparcenary is created. It is not necessary to form a
    coparcenary or to become a coparcener that a predecessor
    coparcener should be alive; relevant is birth within degrees of
    coparcenary to which it extends. Survivorship is the mode of
    succession, not that of the formation of a coparcenary.
    Hence,
    we respectfully find ourselves unable to agree with the
    concept of “living coparcener”, as laid down in Prakash v.
    Phulavati [Prakash
    v. Phulavati, (2016) 2 SCC 36 : (2016) 1
    SCC (Civ) 549]. In our opinion, the daughters should be
    living on 9-9-2005. In substituted Section 6, the expression
    “daughter of a living coparcener” has not been used. Right is
    given under Section 6(1)(a) to the daughter by birth.
    Declaration of right based on the past event was made on 9-9-
    2005 and as provided in Section 6(1)(b), daughters by their
    birth, have the same rights in the coparcenary, and they are
    subject to the same liabilities as provided in Section 6(1)(c).
    Any reference to the coparcener shall include a reference to the
    daughter of a coparcener. The provisions of Section 6(1) leave

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    no room to entertain the proposition that coparcener should be
    living on 9-9-2005 through whom the daughter is claiming. We
    are unable to be in unison with the effect of deemed partition
    for the reasons mentioned in the latter part.”
    (emphasis supplied)

    28.On careful perusal of the above Para No.80 in Vineeta Sharma’s

    case, the Hon’ble Supreme Court did not agree with the Prakash v.

    Phulavathi (supra) only in respect of the concept of “living coparcener”

    alone. Whereas, in the very next line, the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in fact,

    has also held that, in their opinion, the daughter should be living on

    09.09.2005.

    29.In Para No.78 in Vineeta Sharma‘s case, it was argued before the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court that, if the daughter is given the right to be a

    coparcener by birth and deemed to become a coparcener at any point in the

    past, in the normal working of the law, uncertainty would be caused. To

    address the argument, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has clearly held that there

    is no uncertainty caused when the daughter is treated like a son and is given

    the right by birth to be exercised from a particular date, i.e., 09.09.2005. It

    is further held that it is not to resurrect the past but recognising an
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    antecedent event for conferral of rights, prospectively. The said finding

    makes it clear that, though the conferment was given retroactively, the

    enforcement of the right is given only prospectively.

    30.Further, even in Para No.76 in Vineeta Sharma‘s case, the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court has clearly held that a daughter can assert the right on and

    from 09.09.2005 and the proviso saves from invalidation of the above

    transactions.

    31.From a combined reading of Para Nos.76, 78 and 80 in Vineeta

    Sharma‘s case, it is clear that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that,

    though the daughters are treated as coparceners by birth, whether born

    before or after the amendment, such right has to be exercised only from a

    particular date, i.e., on 09.09.2005 and conferral of such right by birth

    whether born before or after amendment is not to resurrect the past but to

    recognise the antecedent event for conferral of rights, prospectively. By

    holding so, in Para No.80, the Hon’ble Supreme Court ultimately did not

    agree with the concept of “living coparcener” as held in Prakash v.

    Phulavathi (supra) and clearly held that the daughter should be living on

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    09.09.2005.

    32.In Para No.85 in Vineeta Sharma‘s case, the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court has held that the right to claim partition is a significant basic feature of

    the coparcenary and a coparcener is one who can claim partition. The

    daughter has now become entitled to claim partition of coparcenary with

    effect from 09.09.2005, which is a vital change brought about by the Statute.

    By holding so, in Para No.114, while rejecting the effect of statutory fiction

    of the proviso to Section 6 as discussed in Prakash v. Phulavathi (supra) and

    Danamma’s case (supra), the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held that, if a

    daughter is alive on the date of enforcement of the Amendment Act, she

    becomes a coparcener with effect from the date of the Amendment Act,

    irrespective of the date of birth earlier in point of time. By the said finding,

    the Hon’ble Supreme Court has made it clear that, though the amendment is

    retroactive, such right could be enforced only from 09.09.2005 and that the

    daughter should be alive on the date of enforcement of the Amendment Act,

    irrespective of the date of birth earlier in point of time.

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    33.In Para No.61 in Vineeta Sharma‘s case, the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court has clarified that a retroactive Statute is the one that does not operate

    retrospectively, but it operates in futuro.

    34.A combined reading of the paragraphs referred above in Vineeta

    Sharma‘s case makes it clear that the daughter would step into the

    coparcenary as that of a son by taking birth before or after the Act, however,

    the daughter born before can claim these rights only with effect from the

    date of the amendment, i.e., 09.09.2005 with saving of the past transactions

    as provided in the proviso to Section 6(1) read with Section 6(5). The very

    object of conferring coparcenary right on a female is not to resurrect the

    past, but only to recgonise an antecedent event, prospectively. Therefore, it

    makes it clear that, to claim equal right as that of son, the daughter should be

    alive as on 09.09.2005.

    35.It is also relevant to note that such a view has already been taken as

    early as in the year 2014 by the Full Bench of the Bombay High Court in

    Badrinarayan Shankar Bhandari’s case (supra). The Full Bench of the

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    Bombay High Court considered the issue as to whether the daughter must be

    alive as on 09.09.2005 to enjoy the benefit of the amendment to Section 6,

    and held as follows :

    “40.A bare perusal of sub-section (1) of Section 6,
    would, thus, clearly show that the legislative intent in enacting
    Clause (a) is prospective i.e. daughter born on or after 9th
    September, 2005 will become a Coparcener by birth, but the
    legislative intent in enacting Clauses (b) & (c) is retroactive,
    because rights in the Coparcenary property are conferred by
    Clause (b) on the daughter, who was already born before the
    amendment, and, who is alive on the date of Amendment
    coming into force. Hence, if a daughter of a Coparcener had
    died before 9th September, 2005, since she would not have
    acquired any rights in the Coparcenary property, her heirs
    would have no right in the Coparcenary property. Since
    Section 6(1), expressly confers right on daughter only on and
    with effect from the date of coming into force of the Amendment
    Act, it is not possible to take the view being canvassed by
    learned Counsel for the Appellants that heirs of such a
    deceased daughter can also claim benefits of the amendment.

    42.Two conditions necessary for applicability of
    amended Section 6(1), are:

    (i) The daughter of the Coparcener (daughter claiming

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    benefit of amended Section 6) should be alive on the date of
    amendment coming into force;

    (ii) The property in question must be available on the
    date of the commencement of the Act as Coparcenary property.

    45. …. Thus, for the amended Section 6, to apply, not
    only the daughter should be alive on the date of
    commencement of the Amendment Act, but also the property
    should be Coparcenary property on the date of the
    commencement of the Act i.e. 9th September, 2005 or atleast on
    20th December, 2004, when the Amendment Bill was introduced
    in Rajya Sabha.

    57.We have considered the rival submissions. On an
    examination of amended Section 6 of the Principal Act and
    bearing in mind the words ‘on and from commencement of the
    Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005’ found in Section 6, it
    must follow that the rights under the amended Section 6, can be
    exercised by a daughter of a Coparcener only after the
    commencement of the Amendment Act, 2005. Therefore, it is
    imperative that the daughter, who seeks to exercise such a
    right must herself be alive at the time when the Amendment
    Act, 2005
    was brought into force. It would not matter whether
    the daughter concerned is born before 1956 or after 1956. This
    is for the simple reason that the Hindu Succession Act, 1956

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    when it came into force applied to all Hindus in the country
    irrespective of their date of birth. The date of birth was not a
    criterion for application of the Principal Act. The only
    requirement is that when the Act is being sought to be applied,
    the person concerned must be in existence/living. The
    Parliament has specifically used the word “on and from the
    commencement of Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005
    so as to ensure that rights which are already settled are not
    disturbed by virtue of a person claiming as an heir to a
    daughter, who had passed away before the Amendment Act
    came into force.

    60.In the above view of the matter, so far as questions

    (b), (c) & (d) are concerned, we hold that the Amendment Act
    applies to daughters born any time provided the daughters
    born prior to 9th September, 2005 are alive on the date of
    coming into force of the Amendment Act i.e. on 9th
    September, 2005. There is no dispute between the parties that
    the Amendment Act applies to daughters born on or after 9th
    September, 2005.”
    (emphasis supplied)

    36.It is also relevant to note that the above judgment of the Full Bench

    of the Bombay High Court was also considered by the Hon’ble Supreme

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    Court in Vineeta Sharma‘s case. In fact, the decision of the Full Bench of

    the Bombay High Court in Badrinarayan Shankar Bhandari’s case (supra)

    has not been overruled by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma’s

    case. Though the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Vineeta Sharma‘s case

    considered the finding that the daughter should be alive on the date of the

    Amendment Act coming into force, the same is not even touched.

    37.It is also relevant to note that, in Muthulakshmi’s case (supra), a

    learned Single Judge has held that any daughter who seeks the benefit of

    Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, must be alive as on the date

    when the amended Act came into force.

    38.Similar view has been taken by a learned Single Judge of the

    Bombay High Court in Kamlakar’s case (supra), wherein, it is held as

    follows :

    “42.The dictum of the Apex Court as noted from the
    decision of Vineeta Sharma (supra) is that the daughter
    acquires interest in the coparcenary by birth and the rights can
    be claimed with effect from 9th September, 2005. The provisions
    were held to be of retroactive application as they confer

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    benefits based on an antecedent event, the antecedent event
    being birth of daughter. The Apex Court was answering the
    reference concerning interpretation of section 6 of Hindu
    Succession Act, 1956 as amended by the Amendment Act of
    2005. The Apex Court while answering the reference has
    categorically observed that the right can be asserted by the
    daughter on and from 9th September, 2005 although the right is
    acquired by birth. It can thus be concluded that as assertion of
    the right is from 9th September, 2005 the daughter should be
    living as on 9th September, 2005. In the process of answering
    the reference, the Apex Court has touched upon every aspect of
    the right of the daughter vis-a-vis the amendment of he year
    2005 to section 6 of Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Apex
    Court has categorically observed that the daughter can assert
    the right on and from 9th September, 2005 which right is given
    by birth and is to be exercised from the particular date i.e. 9th
    September, 2005. As the exercise of the right is from 9th
    September, 2005, the Apex Court has opined in paragraph 80
    that the daughters should be living on 9th September, 2005 and
    has held in paragraph 114 that if a daughter is alive on the date
    of enforcement of the Amendment Act, she becomes a
    coparcener with effect from date of the Amendment Act.”
    (emphasis supplied)

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    39.Further, submissions were made on the interpretation of the

    provisions of Section 6 of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005.

    Much emphasis was placed on Sub-Clauses (b) and (c) of Sub-Section (3) of

    Section 6. Section 6(3) is relevant and extracted hereunder :

    “6.Devolution of interest in coparcenary property :

    … (3) Where a Hindu dies after the commencement of the
    Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, his interest in the
    property of a Joint Hindu family governed by the Mitakshara
    law, shall devolve by testamentary or intestate succession, as
    the case may be, under this Act and not by survivorship, and
    the coparcenary property shall be deemed to have been divided
    as if a partition had taken place and,—

    (a) the daughter is allotted the same share as is allotted
    to a son;

    (b) the share of the pre-deceased son or a pre-deceased
    daughter, as they would have got had they been alive at the
    time of partition, shall be allotted to the surviving child of such
    pre-deceased son or of such pre-deceased daughter; and

    (c) the share of the pre-deceased child of a pre-deceased
    son or of a pre-deceased daughter, as such child would have
    got had he or she been alive at the time of the partition, shall
    be allotted to the child of such pre-deceased child of the pre-

    deceased son or a pre-deceased daughter, as the case may be.
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    Explanation — For the purposes of this sub-section, the
    interest of a Hindu Mitakshara coparcener shall be deemed to
    be the share in the property that would have been allotted to
    him if a partition of the property had taken place immediately
    before his death, irrespective of whether he was entitled to
    claim partition or not.”

    40.Section 6(3)(c) of amended Act states that the share of the

    predeceased child of a predeceased son or of a predeceased daughter, as such

    child would have got had he or she been alive at the time of partition, shall

    be allotted to the child of such predeceased child of the predeceased son or a

    predeceased daughter, as the case may be.

    41.Sub-Section (2) of Section 6 stipulates that the property to which

    any female Hindu becomes entitled by virtue of Sub-Section (1) shall be

    held by her with the incidents of coparcenary ownership and shall be

    regarded, notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law

    for the time being in force, as property capable of being disposed of by her

    by testamentary disposition.

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    42.Whereas, Sub-Section (3) of Section 6 deals with the death of the

    Hindu who dies after the commencement of the Act. Therefore, when after

    the commencement of the Act any Hindu dies, the Sub-Clauses (b) and (c)

    takes care of the distribution of the interest in the property of a joint Hindu

    family. Therefore, Section 6(3) can be applied only when the Hindu dies

    after the commencement of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005.

    Therefore, the distribution of his interest to his legal heirs, as stated in Sub-

    Clauses (b) and (c), cannot be applied in the case of daughter who died prior

    the Amendment Act.

    43.In Para No.69 in Vineeta Sharma‘s case, the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court has held that the effect of amendment is that a daughter is made

    coparcener with effect from the date of amendment and she can claim

    partition also, which is a necessary concomitant of the coparcenary. Section

    6(1) recognises a joint Hindu family governed by Mitakshara law. The

    coparcenary must exist on 09.09.2005 to enable the daughter of a coparcener

    to enjoy rights conferred on her. As the right is by birth and not by dint of

    inheritance, it is irrelevant that a coparcener whose daughter is conferred

    with the rights is alive or not. Conferral is not based on the death of a father

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    or other coparcener. In case living coparcener dies after 09.09.2005,

    inheritance is not by survivorship but by intestate or testamentary succession

    as provided in substituted Section 6(3).

    44.Therefore, the above dictum in Para No.69 will apply to the

    distribution of the interest of the coparcener only when he/she after dies after

    09.09.2005. Therefore, the contention of Mr.S.Parthasarathy and

    Mr.N.Manokaran, learned Amici Curiae that Section 6(3) has to be taken

    note of, has no relevance at all. Whereas, Section 6(3) will apply to the

    death of the Hindu only after the commencement of the Act. As per the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court, coparcenary must exist on 09.09.2005 to enable the

    daughters of the coparcener to enjoy the rights conferred on her.

    45.In Prasanta Kumar Sahoo’s case, the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in

    Para No.71, has laid down the propositions that flow from the decision in

    Vineeta Sharma‘s case :

    “71.The following propositions, amongst others, follow
    from the abovequoted paragraphs of the decision in Vineeta
    Sharma [Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma
    , (2020) 9 SCC 1 :

    (2021) 1 SCC (Civ) 119] :

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    71.1.Sub-section (1) of the substituted Section 6 of the
    Hindu Succession Act, 1956 recognises a joint Hindu family
    governed by Mitakshara law.

    71.2.The coparcenary must exist on 9-9-2005 i.e. the
    date of commencement of the 2005 Amendment Act.

    71.5.Though the daughter would step into the
    coparcenary as that of a son by birth whether the daughter is
    born before the commencement of the 2005 Amendment Act or
    after the commencement of the 2005 Amendment Act, but the
    daughter born before the commencement of the 2005
    Amendment Act can claim coparcenary rights only with effect
    from the date of the amendment i.e. 9-9-2005 with saving of
    past transactions as provided in the proviso to Section 6(1)
    read with Section 6(5).”
    (emphasis supplied)

    46.The above proposition makes it clear that, though the daughter was

    born before the commencement of the Amendment Act, she can claim

    coparcenary right only from the date of amendment, i.e., 09.09.2005 with

    saving of the past transactions as provided in the proviso to Section 6(1) read

    with Section 6(5). In case a coparcener living on the date of commencement

    of the 2005 Amendment Act, i.e., 09.09.2005, dies after 09.09.2005,

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    inheritance is not by survivorship but by intestate or testamentary succession

    as provided in substituted Section 6(3). Therefore, the amended Section 6(3)

    will apply only to the Hindu who dies after the commencement of the

    amended Act. The proviso cannot be applied to the daughter who was not

    alive on the date of 09.09.2005 to distribute her interest to her legal heirs.

    47.Though much emphasis has been placed that there is a

    discrimination, we are of the view that the discrimination which was in

    existence till Amendment Act 39 of 2005, was removed for the first time in

    the year 2005 and new benefits have been conferred, which has to be

    exercised only from a particular date. As rightly pointed by

    Mr.G.Masilamani, learned Senior Counsel, we cannot put the clock back on

    time. The Legislature, in its wisdom, has fixed a cut off date for conferring

    certain benefit. Though such right has been conferred retroactively, it has to

    be exercised only from a particular date, i.e., 09.09.2005.

    48.In view of the narrative supra, we are of the view that the daughter

    should be alive as on 09.09.2005 for asserting her right. Accordingly, Point

    No.(i) is answered.

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    Point No.(ii) :

    49.In the given case, admittedly, one of the daughters of Murugesa

    Gounder, namely Anbazhagi, died on 03.03.1998, prior to the

    commencement of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005. This fact

    is not in dispute. The 4th plaintiff is the daughter of the deceased Anbazhagi.

    The relationship of the parties is not in dispute. The character of the

    properties is also not in dispute.

    50.After the commencement of the Hindu Succession (Amendment)

    Act, 2005, with effect from 09.09.2005, (i) the father Murugesa Gounder (ii)

    1st defendant (son) (iii) 5th plaintiff Kalavathi (daughter) (iv) 6th plaintiff

    Sivagami (daughter) and (v) Sundari (daughter) became entitled to 1/5 share

    in the coparcenary properties. Since one of the daughters Anbazhagi died on

    03.03.1998 prior to commencement of the Amendment Act 39 of 2005, in

    view of the discussion in the foregoing paragraphs, no coparcenary right can

    be conferred on her as on the date of Amendment Act coming into force, i.e.,

    on 09.09.2005, so also her legal heirs.

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    51.The father Murugesa Gounder died in the year 2007. One of the

    daughters Sundari died in the year 2019. These facts are also not in dispute.

    The plaintiffs 1 to 3 are the legal heirs of the deceased Sundari. Therefore,

    after the death of Murugesa Gounder, his 1/5 share will be divided among all

    his legal heirs.

    52.Accordingly, the parties are entitled to their respective shares as

    follows :

                         Iyyanar (1st defendant – son)                 :      1/5 + 1/25   =      6/25
    
                         Kalavathi (5th plaintiff – daughter)          :      1/5 + 1/25   =      6/25
    
                         Sivagami (6th plaintiff – daughter)           :      1/5 + 1/25   =      6/25
    
                         Sundari’s (daughter) branch
                         [Plaintiffs 1 to 3]                           :      1/5 + 1/25   =      6/25
    
                         Anbazhagi’s (daughter) branch
                         [4th plaintiff]                               :      1/25         =      1/25
    
    
    

    53.In fine, the plaintiffs 1 to 3, 5 and 6 and the 1 st defendant are each

    entitled to 6/25 share in the Item Nos.4 to 25 of the suit properties. The 4 th

    plaintiff is entitled to 1/25 share in the Item Nos.4 to 25 of the suit

    properties.

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    54.As far as the suit Item Nos.1 to 3 are concerned, as per Exs.A8 and

    A9, the said properties stand in the name of Murugesa Gounder and his

    brothers and during partition with his brothers, Murugesa Gounder had

    acquired 1/5 share which has not been mutated in the records. Therefore,

    Murugesa Gounder will be entitled only for 1/5 share in the total extent. The

    said fact is not in dispute. Therefore, insofar as Item Nos.1 to 3 of the suit

    properties are concerned, after the death of the Murugesa Gounder, his 1/5

    share will be equally divided among his legal heirs.

    55.As a result, this Appeal is partly allowed and the impugned

    judgment and decree of the trial Court is modified to the extent as follows :

    (a) the plaintiffs 1 to 3, 5 and 6 and the 1st defendant are each

    entitled to 6/25 share; and the 4th plaintiff is entitled to 1/25

    share in respect of Item Nos.4 to 25 of the suit properties.

    (b)the plaintiffs 1 to 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the 1 st defendant are each

    entitled to 1/25 share in respect of Item Nos.1 to 3 of the suit

    properties.

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    (c) Rest of the judgment remains intact.

    (d) No costs.

                                                                         (N.S.K., J.)    (M.J.R., J.)
                                                                                24.07.2026
                         mkn
    
                         Internet : Yes
                         Index : Yes / No
                         Speaking Order
                         Neutral Citation : Yes
    
                         To
    
                         1.The I Additional District Judge,
                           Tindivanam.
    
                         2.The Section Officer,
                           VR Section,
                           High Court, Madras.
    
    
    
    
                         Page 43 of 44
    
    
    
    
    https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis
                                                   A.S.No.540 of 2024
    
    
                                         N. SATHISH KUMAR, J.
                                                         and
                                            M. JOTHIRAMAN, J.
    
                                                               mkn
    
    
    
    
                                                   Judgment in
                                              A.S.No.540 of 2024
    
    
    
    
                                                      24.07.2026
    
    
                         Page 44 of 44
    
    
    
    
    https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis
    



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