The Supreme Court has clarified that property purchased by a husband in the name of his wife remains the wife’s exclusive property and cannot automatically be treated as part of the husband’s estate after her death. A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh was hearing an appeal against a Chhattisgarh High Court judgment concerning succession to property standing in the deceased wife’s name. The Court held that succession must be determined on the basis of the wife’s ownership of the property. It further clarified that Section 33 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, which deals with distribution of a male intestate’s estate between his widow and lineal descendants, cannot be applied by treating the wife’s separately owned property as the husband’s estate. The ruling provides important clarification on property ownership and inheritance under Christian succession law.
