Succession Laws and Intestate Inheritance
When a person dies intestate (without a will), their property is distributed according to personal succession laws - Hindu Succession Act for Hindus/Sikhs/Buddhists/Jains, Muslim Personal Law for Muslims, and Indian Succession Act for others.
Under the Hindu Succession Act, property goes to Class I heirs (spouse, children, mother) first, then Class II heirs, followed by agnates and cognates in that order.
Class I heirs include: widow/widower, sons, daughters, mother, son's widow, son's son, son's daughter, daughter's son, daughter's daughter, and mother of deceased's predeceased child.
Yes, after the 2005 amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, daughters have equal rights as sons in ancestral and self-acquired property, regardless of marital status.
A wife is a Class I heir and has equal rights with children and the deceased's mother. She gets an equal share along with other Class I heirs.
No, divorce completely severs the relationship, and ex-spouses have no inheritance rights in each other's property.
The property passes to agnates (relatives connected through males), and if none exist, then to cognates (relatives connected through females).
Class I heirs inherit simultaneously and equally. For example, if there are a widow and two children, each gets one-third share of the property.
For unmarried individuals, property passes to parents, then siblings, then other relatives according to the succession order defined in applicable personal laws.
Yes, legally adopted children have the same inheritance rights as biological children under Indian succession laws.
