Protection for certain royal estates from succession law still valid despite abolition of privy purses and privileges: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court ruled that special provisions in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, protecting certain royal estates from partition remain valid. The court clarified that the abolition of privy purses and royal privileges did not affect the legal status of private properties and impartible estates of former princely states.
Why it matters
This decision provides legal clarity on property inheritance rights for former royal families, distinguishing between state-granted privileges and private ancestral assets.
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a special provision in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, which excludes certain estates of former royal families from the purview of being partitioned under the Act, remains valid despite abolition of privy purses and royal privileges more than five decades ago through the amendments to the Constitution of India.
“Articles 291 (privy purse sums of rulers) and 362 (rights and privileges of rulers of Indian States) were only with respect to guarantees and assurances made by the Dominion of India with regard to payment of privy purse, personal rights, privileges, dignities and titles of erstwhile rulers of princely States of India and not with respect to their personal private properties and Gaddi , impartible estate,” the court said.
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