Section 8 — How a Male Hindu's Estate Devolves — KSLU Family Law 1 Notes

Section 8 — How a Male Hindu’s Estate Devolves

flowchart TD
    ROOT["Male Hindu Dies Intestate"]:::root
    ROOT --> A["Class I Heirs Present?<br/>(Son, Daughter, Widow,<br/>Mother, etc.)"]:::q
    A -- YES --> B["Class I heirs share equally<br/>(per capita; per stirpes<br/>for predeceased branch)"]:::yes
    A -- NO --> C["Class II Heirs?<br/>(Father, Son's daughter, etc.<br/>in order of entries)"]:::q
    C -- YES --> D["Earliest entry takes;<br/>excludes later entries"]:::yes
    C -- NO --> E["Agnates -> Cognates<br/>-> Government (escheat)"]:::last

    classDef root fill:#FFF8DC,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,color:#000;
    classDef q fill:#FFFFF0,stroke:#333,color:#000;
    classDef yes fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    classDef last fill:#FFE6E6,stroke:#8A1E1E,color:#000;
    linkStyle default stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px;

The golden rule for problem questions: (1) List every relative mentioned. (2) Check who falls in Class I — son, daughter, widow, mother, and certain heirs of predeceased children. (3) If even one Class I heir exists, only Class I heirs inherit — Class II, agnates, cognates are all excluded entirely. (4) Class I heirs take simultaneously and equally (per capita per entry; per stirpes within an entry for a predeceased person’s branch); multiple widows together take one share.

Worked example (a real Jan 2026 PYQ pattern): A male Hindu dies intestate leaving father-in-law, father, brother, sister, and son. Father-in-law is not an heir at all. Father and siblings are Class II — but the son is Class I. Answer: the son alone takes the entire estate; everyone else is excluded.