In Brief
A married daughter challenged her exclusion from inheriting a leasehold property as part of her deceased parents' estate under the Inventory Proceeding Act, 2012. The lower courts had rejected her claim on the basis that the Goa Rent Act restricts such inheritance to unmarried daughters. The Supreme Court held that the Goa Rent Act (which governs landlord-tenant disputes) is inapplicable to succession proceedings. Under the Inventory Proceeding Act and Portuguese Civil Code, children—whether sons or daughters, married or unmarried—have equal succession rights. The Court allowed the appeal, quashed the lower orders, and directed inclusion of the lease premises in the estate for partition among all heirs.
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