Supreme Court Ends Kapurthala Succession Dispute, Ensures Equal Property Rights

The Supreme Court of India has ruled that the properties of the former Kapurthala kingdom will be distributed among all family members according to Hindu Law, rejecting the archaic Primogeniture custom that favored the male heir. This decision resolves a legal battle lasting nearly five decades, providing equitable rights to all descendants.

In a historic judgement, the Supreme Court of India has settled a five-decade-long legal conflict involving the royal family's succession rights in the former kingdom of Kapurthala. The court directed that property distribution should comply with Hindu Law, overruling the ancient Primogeniture custom, which gave preference to the male heir.

A Division Bench led by Justice Pankaj Mittal and Justice SVN Bhatti overturned previous High Court rulings from September 2004 and November 2010, which had upheld the Primogeniture tradition for the Kapurthala dynasty's estates. The legal debate centered around the division of valuable properties, initially spurred in 1977 by a partition suit filed by the eldest son, mother, and daughters against the family patriarch.

The erstwhile ruler had argued that the kingdom's properties, traditionally passed as an impartible estate, should continue under Primogeniture. However, the Supreme Court has mandated that the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, dictate the inheritance, ensuring a fair share for all family members. With the end of British paramountcy and following the merger agreements, only ceremonial titles devolved through Primogeniture, a fact highlighted by the court's decision.