In Brief
In this succession dispute over a residential property in Delhi, the Court addressed whether a wife's 'life interest' granted by her husband's Will could enlarge into absolute ownership under the Hindu Succession Act. The testator (Mr. Dewan) gave his self-acquired house with ground floor and first floor to his son and daughter as absolute owners respectively, while granting his wife (Mrs. Pritam) only a 'life interest' to reside and use rental income during her lifetime. The wife and son claimed the life interest ripened into absolute ownership under Section 14(1) of the Act. The Court held that Section 14(2) applies to restrict the wife's interest to 'life interest' only, as the property was gifted without any pre-existing right to maintenance. The Court dismissed the appeal, upholding that the life interest remained restricted and extinguished upon the wife's death.
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