Wills under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 — KSLU Family Law 2 Notes

Wills under the Indian Succession Act, 1925

A will is “the legal declaration of the intention of a testator with respect to his property which he desires to be carried into effect after his death” (S.2(h), ISA 1925). The Act draws a sharp line between two kinds.

flowchart TD
    ROOT["Wills under ISA 1925"]:::root
    ROOT --> UNPRIV["Unprivileged Will<br/>(Section 63)"]:::unpriv
    ROOT --> PRIV["Privileged Will<br/>(Sections 65-66)"]:::priv
    UNPRIV --> U1["Testator must SIGN<br/>(or mark, or direct another)"]:::req
    UNPRIV --> U2["Minimum 2 witnesses<br/>required"]:::req
    UNPRIV --> U3["Witnesses attest in<br/>the testator's presence"]:::req
    UNPRIV --> U4["Witness who is also legatee:<br/>will valid BUT legacy void<br/>(Section 67)"]:::warn
    PRIV --> P1["Soldier, Airman,<br/>Mariner in service"]:::who
    PRIV --> P2["Can be ORAL"]:::priv_feat
    PRIV --> P3["No witnesses required"]:::priv_feat
    PRIV --> P4["Unsigned will valid"]:::priv_feat
    PRIV --> P5["Oral will: survives<br/>1 month after service ends"]:::priv_feat

    classDef root fill:#FFF8DC,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px,color:#000;
    classDef unpriv fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    classDef priv fill:#D4EDDA,stroke:#155724,color:#000;
    classDef req fill:#FFF3CD,stroke:#856404,color:#000;
    classDef warn fill:#F8D7DA,stroke:#721C24,color:#000;
    classDef who fill:#D4EDDA,stroke:#155724,color:#000;
    classDef priv_feat fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    linkStyle default stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px;

An unprivileged will must be signed by the testator and attested by two witnesses who sign in the testator’s presence (S.63). A witness who is also a beneficiary does not void the will, but the legacy to that witness fails (S.67). A privileged will — for a soldier, airman, or mariner in active service — relaxes every formality: it may be oral or written, unsigned, and unwitnessed (In re Goods of Limond, 1940), because such persons may have no access to lawyers in the field. Void bequests (e.g., to an unborn person not answering S.113–114, or for an unlawful purpose) fail, and a legacy may be lost by ademption where the specific subject-matter no longer exists at the testator’s death.