In Brief
Bhulabhai Bhikhabhai died intestate in 1947 leaving two sons and two daughters. Under Hindu law, upon the karta's death, the joint family property devolved only to the surviving sons, not to the widow or daughters. Decades later, the daughters sought to claim shares through their deceased mother. The Supreme Court held they had no legal entitlement. Furthermore, their appeal filed eight years after the original order was time-barred and violated the doctrine of merger (whereby a lower tribunal's order merges into a superior forum's final order). The daughters also failed to file required declarations under the Urban Land Ceiling Act. The appeal was allowed and the Tribunal and High Court orders were set aside."
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