Alienation of Joint Family Property

For Law Students

1. Alienation of Joint Family Property
Dr. Amit Guleria (Double Medalist; Gold and Silver)
Assistant Professor,
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University Sonepat
Email: [email protected]

2. General Notion & Modes of Alienation
Alienation Simply Means Transfer of Property
Voluntary Alienation Involuntary Alienation
Modesof
Alienation

3. Modes of Alienation
Modes of Voluntary Alienation
Sale
Lease
Mortgage
Gift
Will
Exchange
Considerational
Non-Considerational
Conditional

4. Involuntary Alienation
Involuntaryalienationiswhenthecourt
attachesthepropertyofaperson.Theproperty
ofthejointfamilyorundividedinterestofa
coparcenerinsuchpropertymayalsobe
alienatedthroughinvoluntaryalienation

5. Subject Matter of Alienation
Joint Family Property: Coparcenary Property.
Father can make the alienation of SAP, it cannot
be questioned by son. (Manjit Singh v. RajenderSingh,
AIR 2013 HP 70).
TheconceptofalienationissignificantbecauseinJHFneitherthe
Kartanoranyothercoparcenershastheabsoluteauthorityof
alienationovertheJHFPoroverhis/herinterestintheJHFP.
Significance of Concept of Alienation

6. Whenothercoparcenersareminors,s(he)canalienatejoint
immovablepropertysoastobindnotonlyhis/herown
interestbutalsothatoftheotherminorcoparceners,
subjecttotheconditionthatsuchalienationisthenecessity
intheinterestofJHF.
Kartacanalienatethejointfamilypropertyevenwithout
theconsentofcoparcenersinensuingthreecircumstances:
Karta’s Power to Alienate the Property
Benefit of Estate
Performance of
Indispensable Duties
Legal Necessity

7. TheHighCourtofPatnainBageshwariv.Deopatti,1965Pat.416,
laiddownthatalienationofJHFPcouldbedoneonlyfor‘legal
necessity’orfor‘benefittoestate’.
Furtheritwasobservedthat:
IfKartahimselfexecutedapermanentleasedeedofJHFP
withoutanylegalnecessityorbenefittoestate,thedeedisvoid
andcannotbeenforceable.
TheHon’bleSupremeCourtofIndiainArshnoorSinghv.Harpal
Kaur,AIR2019SC3098,ruledthatiftheKartasellsproperty
withoutany‘legalnecessity’or‘benefittoestate’,thesale-deed
executedbyKartawouldbeillegal,nullandvoid.

8. Vijnaneshwara recognized three exceptional cases in
which the alienation of the joint family property could
be made:
Apatkale: in the times of hardship/distress. (Includes
Legal Necessity)
Kutumbarthe: for the sake of family/maintenance of
family. (Also includes for the benefit of estate)
Dharamarthe: for the performance of indispensable
religious duties.

9. InSubodhKumar&Ors.v.BhagwantNamdeoRaoMohatre,AIR
2007SC1324,theHon’bleSCobservedthataKartahasapower
toalienateforvaluetheJHFPeitherforlegalnecessityorforthe
benefitoftheestate.
❖Hecanalienatethepropertywiththeconsentofother
coparcenersofthefamily.
❖Whenhealienatesthepropertyforlegalnecessityhealienates
aninterest,whichisgraterthanhisundividedinterest,when
theKarta,however,conveysbywayofimprudenttransaction,
thealienationisvoidabletotheextentoftheundividedshareof
thenon-consentingcoparcener.

10. AllahabadHighCourtinDudhnathv.SatnarainRam,AIR
1966All.315,observedthatinordertoupholdanalienation
ofJHFPbythefatherortheKarta,itisnotonlyenoughto
provethattherewaslegalnecessity,butitisalsotoprove
thatheactedlikeaprudentpersonanddidn'tsacrificethe
propertyforinadequateconsideration.
InManoharv.Dewan,AIR1985P&H313,Alienation
withouttheconsentofothercoparceners,whichisnotfor
legalnecessityisvoidinitsnature.

11. WhentheKartaexercisesthepowerof
alienationofJFPinexceptionalcases
(Apatkale,Kutumbarthe,andDharmarthe)
theconsentofothercoparcener(including
minors)isimplied.(SanuRamv.BhupSingh,
(1917)39All.437).

12. .
AlienationofMinor’sUndividedShare:Inorderto
meetthelegalnecessity,theundividedshareofminor
coparcenerscanbealienated.
JHFPinwhichaminorhasundividedshareis
alienatedbyKartafortheclearanceoffamilydebts
incurredduetolegalnecessities.Insuchcircumstances
thepriorpermissionofthecourtisnotrequiredbefore
thealienationofimmovableproperty(Harishv.Sindhu
&Others,AIR2012Ker1).

13. Repayment of family debts
Payment of land revenue
Maintenance of coparceners
Necessary litigation expenses
Marriages expenses of majors coparceners only (Minor’s marriage is not a legal
necessity (Dev Kishanv. Ram Kishan, AIR 2002 Raj. 370)
Earthquake, Fire, flood, etc.
Medical care
Instances of Legal Necessity

14. Hence,theinstancesoflegalnecessitycannot
beexhaustive(thecategoriesoflegalnecessity
cannotbeclosed).
NowitisasettledpositionthatKartacan
alienatetheJHFPwiththeconsentofother
coparceners,evenintheabsenceofexceptional
circumstances.
Wheneverthealienationhasbeenmadeby
Kartaduetotheoccurrenceof‘legalnecessity’,
itcannotbechallengedbyothercoparceners
(KeharSinghv.NachitarKaur,AIR2018SC
3907).

15. AlienationbySoleSurvivingCoparcener:
S(he)Canalienatethecoparcenarypropertyasitwasa
separateproperty.
Solesurvivingcoparcenerhastheabsoluteauthorityto
alienatethecoparcenaryproperty,becausethereisnoother
memberhavingjointinterestinthefamilyproperty
(GurammaBhartarv.NagammaBhartar,AIR1964,SC510).

16. AlienationbyFathertohisdaughter:
Tomaintainthefatherespeciallywhenhebecomes
oldisthedutyodson(s).
Ifnotmaintainedso,andfatherliveswithdaughter
anddaughtermaintainsfather,fathercanalienate
thejointfamilypropertytodaughtereveninorder
tomeettheexpensesincurredforfather’s
maintenance.Andthepropertycanalsobe
alienatedtoanyotherpersoninthesameconditions
(SundarYadavv.AshaKumari,AIR2009Pat131).

17. Alienation by a Coparcener:
Undivided share in the JFP
Interest of Coparcener inJFP is of:
❖Possession
❖Ownership
❖Alienation

18. AllthesignificantdecisionsaremadebyKarta
andotheradultmembersoffamilyforthesake
offamily.
❖Consentofothercoparceners.
❖ApositiveactionofKarta.
❖Theinterestofjointfamilyisprime.
❖Testofprudentperson:whataprudent
personcandoinrespecttohisownproperty.
Benefit of Estate: Kutumbarthe

19. ❖Alienationinfurtheranceofadvancementof
jointfamily.
❖The action should be to prevent probable
losses.
❖The action should not be of speculative
nature.
❖Every act which might benefit the family.

20. IftheJFPyieldingnoprofitwasagreedtobe
soldtopurchaselandavailableatavery
cheaperpriceandyieldingmoreprofitat
anothervillage,theintendedalienationmustbe
construedtobeforthebenefitofthefamilyand
suchagreementtosellwasnotinvalidintheeye
oflaw(HariSinghv.UmraoSingh,AIR1979
All.65).

21. PiousDuties:Topayofffather’sdebts(moraland
lawful),Funeralexpenses,pindadana,sharadaetc.
PerformanceofotherSamskarasincluding
marriage.
Religiouscharity.
Familyidolsandidolinapublictemple(Audyappa
v.Muthulokhmi,1925Mad.1281).
Indispensable Duties

22. Challenge of Alienation
ThepowerKartatoalienatethejointfamilypropertyisnot
absolute.
ThealienationcanbechallengedonthegroundthatKarta
hasexceededhispowers.
Therighttochallengethealienationisavailable.
Therighttochallengethealienationissubjecttolawof
limitation.(12years,fromwhenthealieneetakespossession
oftheproperty)(Ent.109,LA,1963).

23. TheBoPisonalieneetoprovethatthe
alienationwasforavalidpurpose(legal
necessity/benefitofestateetc.).Hehasto
provethathemadeproperandbonafide
enquiryabouttheexistenceofsuchnecessity.
Butalieneeisnotboundtoseethatthemoney
paidbyhimforthealienationwasactually
appliedtomeetthesamelegalnecessityor
not.

24. Who can Challenge the Alienation
Allthecoparceners.
Apersonwhosucceededtojointfamilyproperty.
Asubsequentalieneeofthewholecoparcenaryproperty.
Apurchaseratsaleinexecutionofadecreeagainsttheentire
coparcenarypropertyoraportionofit.
Apersonholdingtitletothewholeofjointfamilypropertyby
adversepossession.
Acreditor,onfindingthatthealienationistakingplaceinorderto
defraudhim/her.