In Brief
Following the integration of the Princely State of Kapurthala into India in 1948, a family dispute arose over properties declared "private" by the ruler under the merger agreement. Brigadier Sukhjit Singh, the eldest male heir, claimed absolute ownership under the traditional rule of primogeniture (eldest son inherits all). His estranged wife and children claimed the properties were joint family assets subject to equal partition under Hindu law. The Supreme Court held that while succession to the throne follows primogeniture, properties explicitly declared private by the ruler devolve under Hindu succession law, not primogeniture. Properties held in joint names are divisible between joint holders. The Mussoorie estate divides equally among all surviving heirs under Hindu law. The Court's decision clarifies that merger covenants guaranteed only throne succession by primogeniture, not automatic primogeniture for private assets.
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