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sandi   15 January 2019

Can a non-indian spouse claim share in indian properties?

I am a divorced Indian citizen in USA and have grown up kids in India. I am going to get married to a non-Indian citizen in USA. She has German citizenship and will still have her German citizenship after our marriage. We plan to register the marriage in USA and Germany too. But, we haven't planned to register it in India or Indian consulate yet. I have some real estate and other financial establishments in India. In case of divorce, can she claim her rights in the establishments which are in India? I want to protect those properties and establishments for my children in India. Will a prenup made in USA between an Indian and non-Indian recognized in India? Can it be enforced it in India? 



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 8 Replies

Vijay Raj Mahajan (Advocate)     15 January 2019

Make condition in the prenaptual agreement of no claim by the wife in your properties and cash in India that you had before the marriage with her in USA. Secondly register the US marriage under the Foreign Marriage Act,1969 in the Indian High Commission in USA. Thirdly the prenaptual agreement otherwise is not valid in Indian courts but that is valid in foreign courts so you need to be very careful while entering into any agreement with the German lady who are quite intelligent in their approach when it comes to matrimonial issues. Free advises you want to get may cost you heavily in future as the Foreigners don't mind paying lawyers to get correct legal opinion unlike Indian like you.

Kumar Doab (FIN)     15 January 2019

 

Which personal law applies in your case?

Are you all Hindu?

The said property is agricultural land, rural, Urban, or it is a building?

Have you signd any valid WILL and registered IT?

The nature of property are self earned/acquired, ancestral?

 

Confirm!

Ask your counsel for valid/registered deed to defend your interest e.g; Settlement deed with life rights, Registered WILL, conditional Gift deed. etc...

Kumar Doab (FIN)     15 January 2019

Succession opens on date of death; by inheritance or by testamentary succession (by valid WILL).

In case of Hindu male dying without disposing her estate/property in her life time by a valid/registered deed the 1st right is of ClassI legal heirs i.e Mother (if alive as on date of death), Wife (if alive as on date of death), sons, daughters……

 

In case of deceased Hindu woman dying without disposing her estate/property in her life time by a valid/registered deed ClassI,II is not applicable rather nature and source of property matters.

 

If the property is self acquired/earned/absolute in the hands of Hindu woman the 1st right is of her husband (if alive as on date of death) and sons, daughters…………

If property is acquired from husband side 1st right is of her sons, daughters…………and if sons, daughters are not available then legal heirs of husband..

If property is acquired from parents side 1st right is of her sons, daughters…………and if sons, daughters are not available then legal heirs of father..

 

Kumar Doab (FIN)     15 January 2019

IT is mandatory to probate the WILL in the areas of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. Probate has IT’s own hazards, expenses, timelines etc

IT is not mandatory to probate the WILL in other areas. IT is not mandatory to register the WILL.

The WILL should just be valid. Unregistered WILL can be acted upon.

The last valid WILL prevails.

Kumar Doab (FIN)     15 January 2019

The authority under whose jurisdiction property falls has a set procedure for such matters if NO WILL has surfaced; Intestate Succession…….and the prescribed forms, procedure, process is available in O/o Authority and even on website. Death certificates, legal heir certificate/affidavit (per local procedure-precedence) are basic requirements. Then authority shall act upon and transfer the ownership in the name of legal heirs. Obtain copy of updated mutations records showing share of legal heirs. This grants rights equal to that of owner to legal heirs. All legal heirs are at liberty to relinquish/release/transfer/gift/sell their share in anyone’s favor.

 

The authority under whose jurisdiction property falls has a set procedure for such matters if the WILL has surfaced; Testate Succession…….and the prescribed forms, procedure, process is available in O/o Authority and even on website. Certified copies of the WILL, death certificate, legal heir certificate/affidavit (per local procedure/precedence) are basic requirements. The authority may ask for NOC from legal heirs (other than beneficiary) and/or to release newspaper advt and/or may write to legal heirs to submit their objections if any within set time.

 

If there is NO contest to the WILL by any legal heir then authority shall act upon the WILL without any cloud on it and transfer the ownership in the name of beneficiary.

If WILL is contested it lands up in probate court of pecuniary jurisdiction. The court shall decide on validity of WILL.

The legal heirs may also consider perspective of registered  family settlement after the WILL and register it.
 

Check locally and comply with procedure. Thereafter concerned official in the O/o Authority e.g; Patwari, shall act upon the matter and transfer the ownership by Testamentary succession/ inheritance/probate in the name of legal heirs in mutations records.

Thereafter obtain copy of updated mutation records.

 

For partition by boundaries either decide amicably (best recourse) or take help of other elders of the family or panchyaat or court of law..

 

 If WILL is not submitted to be acted upon then it becomes matter of succession per personal law that applies.

Although it is wrong since the WILL exists.

Check locally and comply with procedure.

Kumar Doab (FIN)     15 January 2019

You may take help for any matter from, elders of your family, competent and experienced well wishers, seasoned PIP’s, helpgroups, community leaders, NGO’s, experienced colleagues, NRI forums,associations, religious scholars/leaders, influential persons, Employee’s/Trade union leaders, help groups for spouses (Husband/wife)  etc and  find a very able LOCAL counsel specializing in concerned filed of law e.g; Succession/testamentary Succession/civil  matters as in your case, and well versed with LOCAL applicable rules, precedence, latest judgments etc …. and worth his/her salt, can advise you after examining all case related docs, inputs,  evidences on record.

Obtain proper legal opinion in writing!

Avoid acting on your own on hearsay.

One should not fall for IT’s and entities loitering at online portals to allure unsuspecting querists. There are many threads on such instances at LCI also.

Online discussions are not substitute to in person discussions with a very able counsel of unshakable repute and integrity specializing in concerned field of law.

One should not fall for IT’s and entities loitering at online portals to allure unsuspecting querists……the personal details of unsuspecting querists/citizens get stored in databanks/compromised……hacked.

Not only your counsel ( if other very able counsel opine that 1st counsel’s advise was bad, misleading) many posing as Lawyers (actually Liar) have been raking up disputes at online portals including LCI on subjects like ; WILL, Nomination, Gratuity etc etc with their misleading, illegal advices and conduct..and have failed due to untiring efforts by some sincere and good natured Experts that indeed want to help and contribute at such portals. Such entities operate by forming gangs ( ikdi, dukdi, tikdi, chokdi and even more)….and attempt to deflect, divert to other members of their gangs to fleece the unsuspecting querists. Many of such entities have never been to courts and might have never won in any case and may not be able to count even on their fingertips. In the end multiple fake ID’s of such IT’s and entities get permanently blacklisted, shunted out at online portals and outside online portals and even society………and that is exactly what they deserve. Make a note of such entities and if the need be act to confine them to correctional centers; Jail, and let their cost and consequences be, heritable. Why such IT’s and entities litter nuisance at online portals: to hide their own weaknesses, and to satiate their insatiable itch and due to their infectious greed. One should stay away from such infected entities and hence away from such infection. You may post if anyone has ever asked /is asking for money from you have paid.

 Such IT’s and entities keep on poping up at online portals with fake and new ID’s after  their old ID’s are permanently blacklisted/shunted out and money fleeced from unsuspecting is finished.

There are such very able counsels at each location.

Check for such counsels at LOCAL; Civil Courts, HC, SC,..

You can also try for FREE legal Aid from Legal aid center (DLSA) that is usually within LOCAL courts complex..preferably from a very able counsel specializing in Succession/testamentary Succession/civil matters.

Your counsels  may opine that you can appear on 1st date, and obtain copies of petition etc to reply later ….and inform the court that you shall be engaging a counsel and appear thru your counsel….Or your counsel can appear and obtain copies of petition etc and reply later or your new counsel can appear for you.

Your counsels can advise after examining all docs/record/inputs pertaining to your matter and help you. You can also search threads on similar query in SEARCH option ON left Hand side of threads in Forum/Experts section. Having learnt a lesson, remember to consult beforehand for your matters or any matter about which you are not properly informed.

There have many instances of such entities operating with multiple fake Id’s at online portals.

 

 

The FEE of all LOCAL counsels at all LOCATIONS is not high/unreasonable as mis-believed by many.

Many counsels even at State Capital/Metro towns  do not demand unreasonable high FEE.

IT is rather at online portals that unsuspecting querists are mislead as per many publications, by IT’s and Entities that pose as some Lawyer (actually LIAR) and flaunt/advertise firms that are not Law Firms (Actually LIAR’s Firms) to believe that LOCAL counsels are not knowledgeable..are incompetent.

In Reality the LOCAL counsels win cases in LOCAL courts at all LOCATIONS.

You can go thru/search the cases contested by any Lawyer at court website.

Rest; Your own very able LOCAL counsel as already advised above, can advise you in person, after examining all docs, inputs in person.

Obtain proper legal opinion in writing.

If you are confident that you are well versed with provisions of applicable rules/laws and procedures and can handle the matter on your own, go ahead.

 

There are many threads on similt query that you can search thru SEARCH option in threads, Articles etc at LCI 

e.g;

Article under my profile;

“Now, Property Transfer Deed by Senior Citizen Parent to negligent children can be revoked even if there is NO recital of Welfare Clause in the Transfer deed !”

 

1 Like

Aks   19 January 2019

I can tell you the US laws about it. Any property acquired from date of marriage ONWARDS is called "marital assets or community property and wife can claim 50% of that property at the time of divorce as her share of "marital assets"

Anything you inherited from your parents, wife has no right on those properties as they are not considered 'marital assetts"

Anything you owned prior to your marriage and its in your name, wife can not claim at the time of divorce.

BTW, this is only applicable US laws and more so in state of Florida. 

Sudhir Kumar, Advocate (Advocate)     28 October 2019

Not understood how they will help

 "elders of your family, competent and experienced well wishers, seasoned PIP’s, helpgroups, community leaders, NGO’s, experienced colleagues, associations, religious scholars/leaders, influential persons, Employee’s/Trade union leaders, help groups for spouses (Husband/wife) etc"

 


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