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1979 Supreme(Del) 212

High Court Of Delhi
VINOO BHAGAT - Appellant
Versus
ANITA REWAL - Respondent
PROB.C.P. 15 of 1979
Decided On : 10/15/1979

Advocates Appeared:
ANITA REVAL, VINU BHAGAT

The form for the grant of the probate is prescribed by Section 289 read with Schedule VI of the Act and the affidavit of valuation is filed under the Court-fees Act and there is no provision under the Indian Succession Act to incorporate the affidavit of valuation or the details of the assets of the deceased in the Probate itself or by means of Annexures to the probate.

Headnote:

PROBATE - ACT-SECTION REFERRED: INDIAN SUCCESSION ACT, 1925 (ACT) - SECTIONS 276, 289, 317, 318 - SUMMARY: The court held that the probate prepared by the Registry was not in accordance with Section 289 read with Schedule VI of the Act. The court ordered that the probate be amended to bring it in accordance with the form set forth in Schedule VI of the Act by deleting the words "as set out in Annexures a and b (annexed hereto)" from the Probate prepared by the Registry. The court also held that the affidavit of valuation with Annexures a and b attached to the petition should not form part as Annexure to the Probate.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner filed a petition under Section 276 of the Act for the grant of the probate with an affidavit of valuation of the property and liabilities detailed in Annexures a and b attached to the petition. The Registry prepared the Probate and also annexed details of property as Annexures a and b to the said probate.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the probate prepared by the Registry was not in accordance with Section 289 read with Schedule VI of the Act. The court also held that the affidavit of valuation with Annexures a and b attached to the petition should not form part as Annexure to the Probate.

Issues: Whether the probate prepared by the Registry was in accordance with Section 289 read with Schedule VI of the Act.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that Section 289 of the Act is mandatory and prescribes the form for the grant of the probate. The court also held that the affidavit of valuation is filed under the Court-fees Act and there is no provision under the Indian Succession Act to incorporate the affidavit of valuation or the details of the assets of the deceased in the Probate itself or by means of Annexures to the probate.

Final Decision: The court ordered that the probate be amended to bring it in accordance with the form set forth in Schedule VI of the Act by deleting the words "as set out in Annexures a and b (annexed hereto)" from the Probate prepared by the Registry. The court also held that the affidavit of valuation with Annexures a and b attached to the petition should not form part as Annexure to the Probate.

Sultan Singh

( 1 ) MRS. Pushpa Tandon made a will dated 30th August, 1971. She died on 29th August, 1977. Mrs. Anita Rewal made the petition under Section 276 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (hereinafter called the Act ) for the grant of the probate with an affidavit of valuation of the property and liabilities detailed in Annexures a and b attached to the petition. On 18th May, 1979 the Probate was ordered to be granted to her. The petitioner filed the Estate Duty Clearance Certificate and the necessary court-fees. The Registry prepared the Probate and also annexed details of property as Annexures a and b to the said probate. Mr. Bhagat, counsel for the petitioner states that the Probate prepared by the Registry is not in accordance with Section 289 read with Schedule VI of the Act. Under Section 276 of the Act in the application for the grant of the Probate the petitioner is required to state the amount of assets which are likely to come to the petitioner s hands only for purposes of court-fees. Under Section 19-1 of the Court-fees Act the petitioner is required to pay court-fees on such valuation. The petitioner accordingly paid the court-fees on the value of the property detailed in Annexures a and b of the affidavit of valuation. The details of the properties mentioned in these annexures are, however, not to be included in the Probate to be granted to the petitioner as the Form for Probate prescribed by Schedule VI of the Act does not contain any provision for the mention of details of property or the assets which are likely to come to the petitioner s hands and Section 289 of the Act is mandatory. Under this form a copy of the Will is to be annexed but the Registry has attached Annexures a and b . Section 289 of the Act is as under : "289. When it appears to the District Judge or Distt. Delegate that probate of a Will should be granted, he, shall grant the same under the seal of his Court in the form set forth in Schedule VI. " As the words "as set out in Annexures a and b (annexed hereto)" in the Probate do not find place in the form prescribed in Schedule VI of the Act, they appear to be contrary to law. Section 289 of the Act is mandatory and prescribes the form for the grant of the probate. Moreover the probate is granted to the executor with a view to administer the entire estate of the deceased. The petitioner-executrix has been directed under Section 317 of the Act to file an inventory of all the assets and under Section 318 of the Act she has to state the value of such property in the inventory. Section 19e of the Court- fees Act provides for cases where too low a court-fees on the probate has been paid, and later on it is found that the value of the property was more. Section 19-E of the Courtfees Act is as follows : (. . . . . .)

( 2 ) A reference in this connection may be made to Chanan Devi v. Des Raj Ram chand, AIR 1965 Pandh 138. In this case copies of schedule indicating the amount of assets was annexed to the Probate granted on 4th February, 1957. The grantee of the Probate sought to recover the property of the deceased but it came to light that the property of the deceased to be realised was more than mentioned in the schedule annexed to the Probate. The grantee was therefore refused delivery of property not indicated in the schedule annexed to the Probate. On an application the High Court deleted the schedule of property attached in the Probate under its inherent powers by order dated 9th April, 1962. Thus it appears that schedule of property should not be part of Probate granted by the court. It is therefore ordered that the probate prepared by the Registry be amended so as to bring the same in accordance with the form set forth in Schedule VI of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 by deleting the words "as set out in Annexures a and b (annexued hereto)" from the Probate prepared by the Registry.

( 3 ) MR. Bhagat, counsel for the petitioner further submits that affidavit of valuati

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