Ravikumar Ranganathan vs Ranganathan Ponmudi alias… — Succession and Inheritance | Bombay HC (2025)

Ravikumar Ranganathan vs Ranganathan Ponmudi alias… — Succession and Inheritance | Bombay HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Letters of Administration granted to the petitioner for the properties left by the deceased and shown in the schedule, having effect throughout the State of Maharashtra under the Indian Succession Act, 1925; petitioner to file account as undertaken in the Petitioner's Oath; office to verify absence of any cross-petition or caveat before issuance of the grant.

Issue for consideration

Whether the petitioner, son of the deceased, is entitled to be granted Letters of Administration under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 for the properties left by the deceased. +1 more

Court's answer

Petition allowed; Letters of Administration granted to the petitioner for the properties left by the deceased and shown in the schedule, in the prescribed format, having effect throughout the State of Maharashtra, as per the Indian Succession Act, 1925.

Ratio / Principle

Permission to amend the place of death of the deceased accepted; petitioner to carry out the amendment within 03 weeks of uploading the order, and to upload the amended petition within 05 days of amendment if the petition is online.

Key takeaways

As no one appeared to resist the claim and nothing was brought to notice regarding pending litigation over the same properties, the petition was treated as an uncontested one.ratio¶11
Legal heirs of the deceased consented by affidavits to the grant of Letters of Administration without reserving any right and accepted the facts regarding their relationship inter se.ratio¶12
Facts stated by the petitioner and the heirs of the deceased on oath remained unchallenged and were required to be accepted; accordingly the petition deserved to be allowed as prayed for.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Testamentary Petition 68.TP/4425/2025, Bombay High Court (Testamentary Department), decided 19th November 2025 by Shri. P. A. Jagdale, Officer on Special Duty. Petitioner Ravikumar Ranganathan, son of the deceased Ranganathan Ponmudi alias P V Ranganathan alias Ranganatha Iyer alias Ponmudi Vishanathan Ranganathan (died 22-05-1997 at Navghar, Vasai, Dist. Palghar), sought Letters of Administration under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. Citation was affixed on the High Court and Collector's Office (Mumbai) notice boards with 14 days expiring under Rule 397(1) and (4) of the Bombay High Court (O.S.) Rules, 1980; notice to the Collector issued under Rule 396; delay explained vide Rule 382. No one contested the claim; legal heirs consented by affidavits without reserving rights; administration bond filed in Form No. 118 with surety. Permission to amend the place of death of the deceased was allowed (amendment within 03 weeks; upload amended petition within 05 days if online). Petition allowed: Letters of Administration granted effective throughout Maharashtra, subject to filing of account as undertaken in the Petitioner's Oath and office verification that no cross-petition or caveat is pending before issuance of the grant.

1 68.TP/4425/2025

Before: Shri. P. A. Jagdale, Officer on Special Duty, With the Testamentary Department Date 19th November 2025

FOR COMPLIANCE:

TP/4425/2025 P. C. : Shri. Ravi Upadhyay i/b D M Legal Ventures Ld. (AMH2023002118 Advocate for the Petitioner 5C202400046)

P.C.:

Petitioner, namely RAVIKUMAR RANGANATHAN, has applied for the grant of Letters of Administration, under the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (for short “IS Act”), for the properties left by the deceased, namely RANGANATHAN PONMUDI alias P V RANGANATHAN alias RANGANATHA IYER alias Ponmudi Vishanathan Ranganathan (For short “Said deceased”).

I have heard Ld. Advocate. I perused the documents, such as a true copy of the death certificate of the deceased, an identity proof of the deceased, an oath in the prescribed format, affidavit of service citation. Heard Ld. Advocate for the petitioner. Petitioner seeks permission to amend the place of death of deceased, in terms of the Draft amendment, annexed to the said praecipe, dated 19.11.2025. Proposed amendment is appeared to be relevant as stated in the praecipe. Hence, submission is accepted. Petitioner to carry out an amendment withing period of 03 weeks from the date of uploading this order, if the petition is pending. Consequential amendment, if any, stands allowed. Furthermore, in case of online petition, the petitioner to upload the amended petition, within period of 05 days from the date of amendment.

Said deceased died as a married on 22-05-1997 at Navghar, Vasai, Dist. Palghar leaving behind him legal heirs, shown in the paragraph No. 4 of the petition. Petitioner states that there are no other legal heirs to the deceased, except heirs shown in the petition. The deceased left properties shown in Schedule I of the petition. The delay has been explained vide Rule 382 of the Rules.

Citation was issued, which has been duly affixed on the Notice Board of the Hon’ble High Court and notice board of the Collector’s Office at Mumbai and 14 days have been expired vide Rule 397(1) and (4) of the Bombay High Court (O.S.) Rules, 1980(for short “BHC Rules”) and an affidavit to that effect has been filed.

2 68.TP/4425/2025

Notice to the collector has been issued vide Rule 396 of the BHC Rules. Till today, no one has appeared to resist the claim of the petitioner, nor has anything been brought to the notice regarding pending litigation about the same properties. Hence, the petition is treated as an uncontested one.

Legal heirs of the deceased have consented by way of Affidavits to grant the prayer of the petitioner to grant Letters of Administration, without reserving any right. Legal heirs have accepted the facts regarding their relationship, inter se. 6) Petitioner has filed the administration Bond in the prescribed form No. 118 with surety.

Ld. Advocate for the petitioner submitted that in view of provisions of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the petitioner, being Son of the deceased, is entitled to seek a Letters of Administration. Hence, facts stated by the petitioner and heirs of the deceased, on oath, remained unchallenged and required to be accepted. Accordingly, the petition deserves to be allowed, as prayed for. Hence, following order:

ORDER

1. Petition is allowed and the Letters of Administration be granted to the petitioner for properties, left by the deceased and shown in the schedule, in the prescribed format, having effect throughout the the State of Maharashtra as per the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, 1925.

1. The petitioner to file an account as undertaken in a Petitioner’s Oath within the stipulated period.

1. Before issuance of the grant, the office to verify that there is no cross-petition pending or caveat resisting the petition is filed.

Officer on Special Duty,

19th November 2025 Officer on Special Duty, with the Testamentary Department