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The Indian Succession Act, 1925

India's general law of succession — domicile and the law that governs it, consanguinity and how degrees of kindred are computed, intestate succession for those the Act covers and the special rules for Parsi intestates, wills and codicils: who may make one, privileged and unprivileged wills, execution and attestation, revocation and revival, the construction of wills, void and conditional bequests, election, legacies of every kind, probate and letters of administration and how they are granted, altered and revoked, the powers and duties of an executor or administrator, and succession certificates. All 393 sections in 11 Parts, with the Table of Consanguinity and eight other Schedules.

39 of 1925 391 sections in force 2 omitted 48 chapters In force 1 January 1926 Amended to Act 8 of 2026

An Act to consolidate the law applicable to intestate and testamentary succession ²***.

WHEREAS it is expedient to consolidate the law applicable to intestate and testamentary succession ²***.

It is hereby enacted as follows:—

India Code's text is as on 19 June 2026 and carries the Repealing and Amending Act, 2025 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026. There is no section 52 — the number is missing from the Act itself.

Pick a section number to read it.

Part I

Preliminary

ss. 1–3

Part II

Of Domicile

ss. 4–19

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Part III

Marriage

ss. 20–22

Part IV

Of Consanguinity

ss. 23–28

23 24 25 26 27 28

Part V · Chapter I

Preliminary

ss. 29–30

Part V · Chapter II

Rules in cases of Intestates other than Parsis

ss. 31–49

31 32 33 33A 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

Part V · Chapter III

Special Rules for Parsi Intestates

ss. 50–56

50 51 53 54 55 56

Part VI · Chapter I

Introductory

ss. 57–58

Part VI · Chapter II

Of Wills and Codicils

ss. 59–62

Part VI · Chapter III

Of the Execution of unprivileged Wills

ss. 63–64

Part VI · Chapter IV

Of privileged Wills

ss. 65–66

Part VI · Chapter V

Of the Attestation, Revocation, Alteration and Revival of Wills

ss. 67–73

67 68 69 70 71 72 73

Part VI · Chapter VI

Of the construction of Wills

ss. 74–111

74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111

Part VI · Chapter VII

Of void Bequests

ss. 112–118

112 113 114 115 116 117 118

Part VI · Chapter VIII

Of the vesting of Legacies

ss. 119–121

Part VI · Chapter IX

Of Onerous Bequests

ss. 122–123

Part VI · Chapter X

Of Contingent Bequests

ss. 124–125

Part VI · Chapter XI

Of Conditional Bequests

ss. 126–137

126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137

Part VI · Chapter XII

Of Bequests with Directions as to Application or Enjoyment

ss. 138–140

Part VI · Chapter XIII

Of Bequests to an Executor

s. 141

Part VI · Chapter XIV

Of Specific Legacies

ss. 142–149

142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149

Part VI · Chapter XV

Of Demonstrative Legacies

ss. 150–151

Part VI · Chapter XVI

Of Ademption of Legacies

ss. 152–166

152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166

Part VI · Chapter XVII

Of the payment of liabilities in respect of the subject of a bequest.

ss. 167–170

167 168 169 170

Part VI · Chapter XVIII

Of Bequests of Things described in General Terms

s. 171

Part VI · Chapter XIX

Of Bequests of the Interest or Produce of a Fund

s. 172

Part VI · Chapter XX

Of Bequests of Annuities

ss. 173–176

173 174 175 176

Part VI · Chapter XXI

Of Legacies to creditors and Portioners

ss. 177–179

Part VI · Chapter XXII

Of Election

ss. 180–190

180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190

Part VI · Chapter XXIII

Of Gifts in Contemplation of Death

s. 191

Part VII

Protection of Property of Deceased

ss. 192–210

192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210

Part VIII

Representative Title to Property of Deceased on Succession

ss. 211–216

211 212 213 214 215 216

Part IX

Probate, Letters of Administration and Administration of Assets of Deceased

s. 217

Part IX · Chapter I

Of Grant of Probate and Letters of Administration

ss. 218–236A

218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 236A

Part IX · Chapter II

Of Limited Grants

ss. 237–260

237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260

Part IX · Chapter III

Alteration and Revocation of Grants

ss. 261–263

Part IX · Chapter IV

Of the Practice in granting and revoking Probates and Letters of Administration

ss. 264–302

264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302

Part IX · Chapter V

Of Executors of their own Wrong

ss. 303–304

Part IX · Chapter VI

Of the Powers of an Executor or Administrator

ss. 305–315

305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315

Part IX · Chapter VII

Of the Duties of an Executor or Administrator

ss. 316–331

316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331

Part IX · Chapter VIII

Of assent to a legacy by Executor or Administrator

ss. 332–337

332 333 334 335 336 337

Part IX · Chapter IX

Of the Payment and Apportionment of Annuities

ss. 338–340

Part IX · Chapter X

Of the Investment of Funds to Provide for Legacies

ss. 341–348

341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348

Part IX · Chapter XI

Of the Produce and Interest of Legacies

ss. 349–355

349 350 351 352 353 354 355

Part IX · Chapter XII

Of the Refunding of Legacies

ss. 356–367

356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367

Part IX · Chapter XIII

Of the Liability of an Executor or Administrator for Devastation

ss. 368–369

Part X

Succession Certificates

ss. 370–390

370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390

Part XI

Miscellaneous

ss. 391–392

Schedules

The Schedules

9 in all

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX