Leach, C.J.

1. These appeals raise the question which was left open by the Privy Council in Ganesh Rao v. Tuljaram Rao (1913) 36 Mad. 295, namely how far the act of a managing member of an undivided Hindu family may affect a party to a suit represented by another person as his next friend or guardian ad litem.

2. A Nattukottai Chettiar named Udayappa Chettiar had three sons, Raman, Kasi Viswanathan and Chellappa. Raman married Alagamma Achi, the appellant in Appeal No. 260 of 1942. He predeceased his father. Kasi Viswanathan married Umayal Achi, respondent 1 in Appeal No. 259 of 1942 and the only respondent in Appeal No. 260 of 1942. Chellappa married one Unnamalai Achi. He became of unsound mind and was represented in certain execution proceedings to which reference will be made in a moment by Unnamalai Achi as his guardian ad litem. On Umayal Achis marriage with Kasi Viswanathan, her stridhanam was invested in her father-in-laws firm. In O.S. No. 1693 of 1931 of the Chief Court of Pudukottah, Umayal Achi sued her father-in-law, her husband, her brother-in-law Chellappa and Vellayya (the son of Raman) to recover her stridhanam moneys. Udayappa Chettiar died during the penden