In Brief
Two daughters of a deceased joint family patriarch sought equal shares with their brothers in the family property. They were born before the 2005 amendment to the Hindu Succession Act that made daughters coparceners with sons. The trial court and High Court rejected their claim, finding the amendment did not apply retroactively. The Supreme Court held that the amendment applies to daughters alive on 9 September 2005, regardless of birth date, making them coparceners with the same rights as sons. The Court also directed that where partition suits are pending, the decree must be amended to reflect daughters' coparcenary rights. Each daughter was entitled to a 1/5th share of the property.
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