In Brief
Nalini Kanth, a minor, claimed absolute ownership of his adoptive mother Venkubayamma's properties under a registered Will dated 1982. He also relied on a registered Adoption Deed. The trial court upheld his claim, but the High Court reversed it, finding neither document valid. The Supreme Court dismissed his appeal, holding that although both documents were registered, they must still comply with statutory proof requirements. The Court found that the Will was not proved under Sections 68-69 of the Evidence Act as no attesting witness was examined and the scribe cast doubt on the executant's identity. The adoption was rebuttable despite registration; numerous suspicious circumstances—including contradictions between documents, absence of crucial ceremonies' photographic evidence, and implausibility of a 70-year-old adopting an infant—rebutted the statutory presumption. Neither the Will nor the adoption was validly proved in law.
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