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Bhobotarini Debi v. Peari Lal Sanyal

Calcutta High Court
Feb 9, 1897
Smart Summary (Beta)

Structured Summary of the Opinion delivered by Banerjee, J.

Factual and Procedural Background

This suit sought construction of the Will of Chandra Nath Maitra and multiple declarations: that upon the death of Piari Sundari (the elder widow) a 12 annas share vested by inheritance in the Plaintiff (the testator's sister's son); that Defendant No. 1 (Bhobotarini), the younger widow, had forfeited all rights in the testator's estate; that a putni (an alienation) granted by Defendant No. 1 to Defendant No. 2 (Kailas Chandra Shaha) was inoperative as against the Plaintiff; that Defendant No. 1 was incompetent to manage the estate; and for recovery and confirmation of possession of certain properties.

The principal factual allegations were that after the testator's death Piari Sundari and Madhusudan Chakravarty took probate and managed the estate; after their deaths Defendant No. 1 obtained letters of administration; Defendant No. 1 left the family dwelling-house, allegedly led an unchaste life and so forfeited rights under the Will; and therefore the Plaintiff, as the next heir, claimed the widows' combined 12 annas share (6 annas from each) and sought to invalidate the putni to Defendant No. 2. Defendants 3 and 4 were other residuary beneficiaries under the Will.

The suit was contested by Defendants 1 and 2. The trial Court found all issues in favour of the Plaintiff and decreed as prayed. Defendants 1 and 2 appealed.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the two widows took an absolute estate under the Will (including by operation of section 82 of the Indian Succession Act as made applicable by the Hindu Wills Act) or only a limited (life) interest under Hindu law (Dayabhaga).
  2. Whether the widows took as joint tenants (with right of survivorship) or as tenants-in-common.
  3. If the widows took only a limited interest, whether the share of the deceased widow passed on her death to heirs of her stridhana or to the Plaintiff (the next reversionary heir of the testator).
  4. Whether Defendant No. 1 forfeited her interest under clause 4 of the Will (including whether that clause is void for vagueness or whether the evidence proves unchastity or other contingencies leading to forfeiture).
  5. Whether the gift over (the clause under which the Plaintiff claims on forfeiture) is valid or void (including arguments about possible future heirs and remoteness/competency to take).

Arguments of the Parties

Appellants' (Defendants 1 & 2) Arguments

  • The Court below was wrong to hold the widows took only a limited estate; under sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act (as applied by the Hindu Wills Act) or on the terms of the Will the widows acquired an absolute interest.
  • The widows took the bequest as joint tenants, so on Piari Sundari's death the whole bequeathed share devolved on Defendant No. 1 by survivorship.
  • Even if tenants-in-common, the share obtained by Piari Sundari (on her death) should have passed to the heirs to her stridhana and not to the Plaintiff.
  • The Court below erred in holding Defendant No. 1 had forfeited her interest — the forfeiture clause is void for vagueness and the evidence is insufficient to prove unchastity or the other contingencies triggering forfeiture.
  • The gift over (on which the Plaintiff relies) was invalid — it might have required vesting in persons not in existence at the testator's death and thus could be void (remoteness / incompetency arguments, relying on Lord Dunganmn v. Smith and English authority).
  • Defendants argued the putni to Defendant No. 2 was valid (an alienation for legal necessity) and attacked the Plaintiff's genealogical claim (alleging Plaintiff was not the legitimate son of the testator's sister).

Respondents' (Plaintiff's) Arguments

  • Section 82 of the Indian Succession Act does not apply because of the Hindu Wills Act (last proviso to sec. 3) and, applying Dayabhaga rules, the widows should take only a limited interest; several cases were cited in support.
  • The bequest should be construed in light of Hindu notions of family devolution and specific clauses of the Will (including clause 4 and clause 9) indicating an intention that the estate remain in the testator's family; therefore the widows did not take absolute estates.
  • The putni was invalid as against the Plaintiff and Defendant No. 1 had forfeited rights under clause 4 of the Will as interpreted under Hindu norms.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Cally Nath Naugh v. Chunder Nath Naugh Cited by Respondents as restricting the application of certain sections of the Indian Succession Act to Hindus. The Court held this case did not bear on the present question because the sections there concerned authorised interests in unborn persons; they do not determine the present issue about sec. 82's applicability to a husband bequeathing to his wives.
Alanga Monjori v. Sonamani Similar to Cally Nath Naugh — used to argue limits on applying parts of the Succession Act to Hindus. The Court found it inapplicable to the present question for the same reasons as Cally Nath Naugh.
Koonj Bihari Dhur v. Prem Chand Duti Decision relating to the rule that gifts of immovable property by a husband to his wife create only a limited interest under Dayabhaga. The Court distinguished it: that rule is limited to gifts of immovable property to the wife and the case does not override sec. 82 where that section applies.
Mussammut Kelleny Koer v. Luchmi Prosad Considered whether a gift to a daughter conveyed an absolute estate; observed absence of authority to show gifts to females are necessarily limited. Distinguished by the Court as involving different questions (gift to daughter) and not controlling the present Will construction under sec. 82 and Dayabhaga considerations.
Mahomed Sumsool Hooda v. Shewukram (Privy Council) Principle that in construing Hindu wills it is proper to consider ordinary Hindu notions and wishes about devolution of property. The Court relied on this principle to construe the Will in light of the testator's apparent intention to keep the estate in his family and to infer that an absolute estate to the widows was unlikely.
Punchoomoni Dassee v. Troylucko Mohinty Dassee Authority consistent with the view that widows take only life estates under similar instruments. The Court observed its view (that widows took only life estates) is in accordance with this case.
Hitabai v. Luckshmibai Authority consistent with life-estate construction for widows. Adopted as supporting the conclusion that the widows took only life estates under the Will.
Rewan Prasad v. Radha Beebee (Privy Council) Held that joint legatees in certain cases would take as tenants-in-common. Cited to show authority contrary to the blanket proposition that legatees without specified shares always take as joint tenants; used in discussion of joint tenancy vs tenancy-in-common.
Jolliffe v. East English authority quoted on courts' tendency to decree tenancy-in-common when possible. Used illustratively in the discussion of whether two legatees should be presumed tenants-in-common or joint tenants.
Fillingham v. Bromley Cited by Appellants to argue a condition (residence in a specified place) is void for uncertainty and unreasonableness. The Court rejected this reliance, holding the residence condition in the Will was neither uncertain nor unreasonable in the Hindu widow context.
Claveting v. Ellison (judgment of Lord Cranworth) Also cited to argue against validity of a residence condition as uncertain. The Court declined to follow the submission based on this authority and treated the Will's residence condition as valid.
Tagore v. Tagore (Privy Council) Authority holding a condition requiring residence in a certain house to entitle a legatee to an estate was valid. The Court relied on this decision as supporting the validity of the Will's residence condition.
Mulji Bkai Shanket v. Bai Ujam (Bombay High Court) Held a condition requiring residence in a particular place to entitle a widow to maintenance was valid. Relied upon by the Court to support the validity of the Will's residence/residence-in-holy-place condition.
Grianna v. Honama Similar authority upholding a residence condition for widow's maintenance. Used to reinforce the Court's conclusion that the condition in the Will was valid and binding.
Lord Dunganmn v. Smith English case on remoteness: gift over held void because at testator's death vesting might not necessarily occur within the rule against remoteness. The Court discussed and declined the broad contention that this authority required invalidation of the gift over in the present case; it applied different principles (looking to whether the Plaintiff, an existing person, took under the gift over).
Soudaminey Dasee v. Joges Chunder Dutt Earlier holdings that a bequest to a class including persons born after the testator could be wholly void. The Court noted these authorities but explained that later Privy Council authority (Rai Bishen Chand) overruled that approach for Hindus.
Kherode Money v. Durga Money Earlier case following Leake v. Robinson that supported invalidating bequests to classes possibly including future persons. The Court treated these earlier cases as superseded by Rai Bishen Chand and thus not decisive against the Plaintiff.
Leake v. Robinson English authority relied on in the earlier line of Hindu cases invalidating bequests to classes including future persons. Referenced as part of an earlier, now rejected, line of authority; the Court preferred later decisions.
Rai Bishen Chand v. Mussammut Asmaia Koer (Privy Council) Held that a gift in favour of a living person and brothers who might be subsequently born was valid as regards the interest of the living person. The Court relied on this authoritative decision to hold that the Plaintiff (who was in existence at the relevant date) could validly take under the gift over.
Ram Lal Set v. Kanai Lal Set (this Court) Followed Rai Bishen Chand to validate gifts to living grandsons though class might include after-born brothers. The Court cited this Court's follow-up decision as consistent authority supporting the validity of the Plaintiff's entitlement under the gift over.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The Court proceeded step-by-step, applying statutory provisions, the Dayabhaga rules of Hindu law, and the language of the Will itself.

  1. Applicability of sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act:
    • The Appellants argued sec. 82 (as applied to Hindus by the Hindu Wills Act) meant the widows took the same interest the testator had — an absolute interest.
    • The Respondents argued sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act made sec. 82 inapplicable. The Court analysed sec. 3 and found it did not clearly render sec. 82 inapplicable to the present case because sec. 3 merely disallows creating interests a Hindu could not create before; a Hindu could create an absolute estate in favour of his wife with express words.
    • The Court therefore held sec. 82 was applicable to the Will, but its applicability did not decide the matter automatically: the Will still had to be construed to ascertain the testator's intention under sec. 82's rule (i.e., that absolute estates should be presumed unless a restricted interest appears).
  2. Construction of the Will and Hindu notions:
    • Even though sec. 82 applied, the Court found the Will's language, read with recognized Hindu notions (as approved in Mahomed Sumsool Hooda v. Shewukram), indicated the testator intended only restricted interests for the widows.
    • Specific textual indicia: clause 4 made the estate defeasible upon certain events implying dereliction of duty by a widow; clause 9 excluded paternal relations of the wives from control over the testator's property — inconsistent with giving wives absolute estates which, in absence of lineal descendants, would pass to the wives' brothers/parents under Dayabhaga.
    • The testator had also provided a four annas share to his sister's son's sons, and clause 5 identified the Plaintiff as an object of affection — suggesting the testator did not intend to give the sisters' son nothing by an absolute bequest to widows.
    • Conclusion: the widows took life estates (restricted interests), not absolute estates.
  3. Joint tenancy versus tenancy-in-common:
    • The Appellants argued that where shares are unspecified two legatees take as joint tenants with right of survivorship (relying on English rule and sec. 93). The Court noted that the natural presumption is equal shares (tenancy-in-common) but considered the Will's structure: in the same clause the grandsons' shares were expressly specified while the widows' shares were not.
    • The Court accepted the second branch of the Appellants' argument (that the omission of specified shares for the widows indicated a joint tenancy) and construed the clause as giving the widows a life interest as joint tenants with right of survivorship. However, the Court observed that whether they were joint tenants or tenants-in-common was of little practical importance for the outcome.
  4. Construction and effect of clause 4 (forfeiture clause) — two questions:
    • Meaning of clause 4: The Court interpreted it to mean that if the widows quarrelled with each other or with the executor, and they nevertheless resided either in the testator's family dwelling-house or in a holy place according to Hindu rules and maintained a good character, they would receive Rs.10 per month; but if they did otherwise (i.e., did not reside in the family house nor in a proper holy place leading a chaste life), they would be entirely deprived of their rights.
    • Whether the events occurred: The Court examined evidence. Defendant No. 1 admitted she instituted proceedings against the probate-holder and had misunderstandings with the executor; witnesses for the Plaintiff (considered reliable) showed that Bhobotarini had for several years been living at her father's house at Bachra rather than residing in the family dwelling-house, and that admissions of quarrels corroborated her departure from the family house.
    • The Court found that the residence condition had been broken and thus forfeiture was incurred under clause 4 independently of any finding on unchastity.
  5. On the question of unchastity:
    • The trial Court had found Defendant No. 1 unchaste. The appellate Court re-examined the evidence and found it insufficient to establish unchastity. Some witnesses' evidence was hearsay or tainted by ill-feeling; other witnesses' testimony was improbable or attempted to prove too much.
    • Accordingly, while the Court disagreed with the trial Court's finding of unchastity, it concluded forfeiture had nonetheless occurred because of breach of the residence condition.
  6. Validity of the gift over:
    • Appellants contended the gift over might be invalid because, in some possible events, it could vest in persons not in existence at the testator's death (invoking doctrines of remoteness and older authorities).
    • The Court rejected the contention that possible future events at the date of death should invalidate the gift as a whole. It cited Privy Council authority (Rai Bishen Chand v. Mussammut Asmaia Koer) and this Court's subsequent decision (Ram Lal Set v. Kanai Lal Set) holding that a gift in favour of a living person and others who may be born later is valid as to the living person's interest.
    • Because the Plaintiff was the next reversionary heir and existed at the relevant date, the gift over in his favour was held valid as applied to him.

Holding and Implications

Final Disposition: Appeal dismissed; decree modified only as to costs.

Implications and direct consequences:

  • The decree of the trial Court in favour of the Plaintiff is affirmed except insofar as it awarded costs against the Defendants.
  • The appellate Court modified the costs order: because questions of Will construction were not free from difficulty and the charge of unchastity was not established, the unsuccessful Defendants were not made liable for the Plaintiff's costs. The parties are to bear their own costs in this Court and in the Court below.
  • On substantive issues, the Court applied existing statutory provisions (sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act as applicable) and prior authorities to construe the Will, hold the widows took life estates (with survivorship), find forfeiture by breach of the residence condition, reject the trial Court's finding of unchastity on the evidence, and uphold the gift over in favour of the Plaintiff (who existed at the relevant date) by reference to binding authority (Rai Bishen Chand and its follow-up).
  • The Court did not purport to lay down a new legal rule; it resolved the dispute by applying established statutory and case law principles to the Will and the evidence before it.

H.P.C — Appeal dismissed; decree modified only as to costs.

Show all summary ...

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

Banerjee, J.:— This was a suit for the construction of the Will of one Chandra Nath Maitra, for a declaration that since the death of Piari Sundari, his elder widow, a 12 annas share of the estate left by him has vested by inheritance in the Plaintiff, his sister's son, for a further declaration that Defendant No. 1, Bhobotarini, the younger widow of the testator, has forfeited all her rights in the estate of her husband, that the putni granted by her in favour of Defendant No. 2, Kailas Chandra Shaha, is inoperative as against the Plaintiff, and that Defendant No. 1 is in any case incompetent to manage the estate; and for the recovery of possession of certain properties and for confirmation of Plaintiff's possession in certain others. The main allegations of fact upon which the suit was based are, that, on the death of Chandra Nath Maitra, his widow Piari Sundari and Madhusudan Chakravarty took out probate of his Will and managed his estate; that on the death of Madhusudan Chakravarty and Piari Sundari, the Defendant No. I obtained letters of administration in respect of the estate of the testator; that the Defendant No. 1 by reason of her disagreement with her co-widow and the executor to the Will left the family dwelling-house of her husband, and she has been leading an unchaste life and her right to the estate of her husband has consequently become extinguished under the terms of the Will; that of the 12 annas share of the testator's estate, which was bequeathed to his two widows, the 6 annas share obtained by Piari Sundari devolved on the Plaintiff by inheritance on her death and the 6 annas obtained by the Defendant No. 1 has also devolved on him as the next heir of the testator, by reason of the extinguishment of her right; and that the putni of this last-mentioned share granted by Defendant No. I to Defendant No. 2 is invalid. Durga Nath Chakravarty and Rajani Nath Chakravarty, sons of the testator's father's sister's son, who have obtained a 4 annas share of the estate under the Will, have been made Defendants 3 and 4.

The suit was contested by Defendants 1 and 2, who filed separate written statements, and the substance of their defence was that the is annas share of the estate bequeathed to the two widows had become vested in the Defendant No. 1; that the Plaintiff's allegation that the Defendant No. 1 had forfeited her right by reason of her diagreement with her co-widow and the executor, her change of residence and her unchastity, was unfounded and untrue; that the putni granted to Defendant No. 2 was valid and binding, as being an alienation for legal necessity; and that the Plaintiff was not the legitimate son of the testator's sister, and consequently not the next reversionary heir.

Upon these pleadings, several issues were raised; the Court below having found them all in favour of the Plaintiff, has given him a decree as prayed.

Against that decree, Defendants 1 and 2 have preferred this appeal, and it is contended on their behalf—

First, that the Court below is wrong in holding that the widows of the testator took a limited estate, whereas it ought to have held that they took an absolute estate under the Will;

Secondly, that the Court below should have held that the widows took the bequest as joint tenants, and that on Piari Sundari's death, the whole estate bequeathed devolved on Defendant No. 1 by survivorship;.

Thirdly, that even if they took the bequest as tenants-in-cotumon, the Court below should have held that the share obtained by Piau Sundari passed on her death to the heirs to her stridhana, and not to the Plaintiff;

Fourthly, that the Court below is wrong in holding that Defendant No. 1 had forfeited her interest in her husband's property, whereas it ought to have held that the clause in the Will relating to forfeiture was void for vagueness, and that the evidence adduced in the case was insufficient to prove the unchastity of Defendant No. 1 and the other contingencies, upon the happening of which forfeiture was to follow; and

Fifthly, that the Court below should have held that the gift over under which the Plaintiff claims was invalid.

On the first point it is contended for the Appellants that under sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act, which the Hindu Wills Act makes applicable to the Will in this case, the two widows of the testator must be held to have acquired the same interest in the 12 annas share of the estate bequeathed to them that he had, that is, an absolute interest; and it is further argued that quite irrespectively of that section, they took an absolute interest under the terms of the Will.

On the other hand, the learned vakils for the Respondents contended that having regard to the last proviso to sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act and to the pro visions of the Hindu law as laid down in the Dayabhaga, Chapter IV, sec. 23, which governs this case, sec. 82 of the Succession Act cannot have any application here; that even if it was applicable still the Will should not be construed as giving the widows any absolute interest, and several cases have been cited in support of the argument on each side.

The clause in the Will bequeathing a 12 annas share to the two widows runs thus:—“My first and second wives shall together be entitled to 12 (twelve) annas of all the properties left by me and Durga Nath Chakravarty and Rajani Nath Chakravarty, sons of my father's sister's son Radha Nath Chakravarty, deceased, who have been living in commensality from the time of my predecessor, shall be entitled to a 4 (four) annas share in equal shares according to the following rules.” And there is nothing in the Will either in what follows or in what precedes, expressly stating that the widows are to take an absolute estate.

If this stood alone, and sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act was not applicable to the case, then as the bequest (which in this respect follows the same rule as a gift) was one of immovable property by the husband to his wives, they would take a limited estate under the Dayabhaga. They would take the property without having any power to alienate it; and property over which they have not the power of ??? cannot constitute their stridhana or absolute property (see Dayabhaga, Chapter IV, secs. 1, 18, 19 and 23), and must on their death pass to the heirs of their husbend (see Colebrooke's Digest, Bk. V, 515, Commentary). On the other hand, if section 82 of the Indian Succession Act applies to this case, then, unless the Will shows that a restricted interest was intended to be created, they must be held to have acquired an absolute estate. Now the only ground upon which it can possibly be said that sec. 82 does not apply here is that the last paragraph of sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act makes it inapplicable. But does it really make the section inapplicable to the present case? It does not, like the corresponding provision of the Transfer of Property Act in sec. 2, enact that nothing contained in the Act, shall affect any rule of Hindu law,” but it merely says that nothing contained in the Act “shall authorize a Hindu to create in property any interest which he could not have created before.” But a Hindu husband was never incompetent to create in favour of his wife an absolute interest in immovable property bequeathed by him to her, though it was necessary in order to create such interest to use express language to that effect. The application of sec. 82 to a case like the present cannot therefore be said to be barred by sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act. Nor do the cases of Cally Nath Naugh v. Chunder Nath Naugh and Alanga Monjori v. Sonamani cited for the Respondents bear upon the present question, the sections of the Indian Succession Act, of which the application to Hindus was held in those cases to be restricted by sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act, having really the effect of authorising the creation of an interest in property which a Hindu could not create before, namely, an interest in favour of an unborn person. We feel bound to add, however, that though we are unable to construe sec. 3 of the Hindu Wills Act as making section 82 of the Succession Act inapplicable to a case like the present, yet we think it very doubtful whether the attention of the Legislature was directed to be point that the application of sec. 82 to Hindu Wills might have the effect of partially abrogating the rule of Hindu law, that a gift by the husband of an immovable property to the wife without express words creating an absolute estate conveys only a limited interest.

sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act being, in our opinion, applicable to this Will, it becomes unnecessary to examine at length the cases cited on either side upon the first point, as they were decided without reference to the provisions of that section. We only wish to observe with regard to those cases that an important distinction, which is sometimes lost sight of, may reconcile the apparent conflict in some of them. The rule of Hindu law referred to above is based upon a text ??? to Naroda cited in the Dayabhaga, Chapter IV, Sec. 23, and is limited to the case of gift of immoveable property of the wife; and it is to this particular case that the decision in Koonj Bihari Dhur v. Prem Chand Duti , relates; while in Mussammut Kelleny Koer v. Luchmi Prosad , the question for decision was whether a gift to the daughter conveyed an absolute estate, and what the learned Judges held was that them was no hiring in the Hindu law to show that a gift to a female means a limited gift.

But though sec. 82 of the Indian Succession Act applies to this case, we think it appears from the Will amply within the meaning of that section, shat only a restrict interest was intended to be created in favour of the widows. In construing a document like this, which is the Will of a Hindu, “it is not improper,” observe their Lordships of the Privy Council in Mahomed Sumsool Hooda v. Shewukram , “to take into consideration what are known to be the ordinary notions and wishes of Hindus with respect to the devolution of property. It may be assumed that a Hindu generally desires that an estate, especially an ancestral estate, shall be retained in his family; and it may be assumed that a Hindu knows that, as a general rule, at all events, women do not take absolute estates of inheritance which they are enabled to alienate.” And these notions and wishes are amply and emphatically indicated in the Will before us. For, though the bequest of the two widows of the testator and that in favour of his father's sister's grandsons are contained in one and the same clause of the Will (namely, the second), the estate granted to the former is made defeasible upon the happening of certain events specified in clause 4, which, according to Hindu notions, imply dereliction of duty on the part of a widow. Again in the 9th clause, the testator says, “no person of the family of the fathers of my two wives shall be able to exercise any control over the money and property left by me.” This would be wholly inconsistent with an intention to give the wives an absolute estate, as in that case, their estate must, in the absence of lineal descendants, of whom there were none pass to their brothers and parents (see Dayabhaga, Ch. IV, sec. III, 29). Moreover, if the widows were intended to take an absolute estate, the testator's sister's son, who was the next reversionary heir, and who, as the 5th clause of the Will shows, was an object of affection to him, would get nothing. Such an intention would therefore’ be extremely unlikely, especially when we find that the testator left a four annas share of the estate to the sons of his father's sister's son. We are, therefore of opinion that the widows took only life estates under the Will. We may observe that the view we take is quite in accordance with the cases of Punchoomoni Dassee v. Troylucko Mohinty Dassee , and Hitabai v. Luckshmibai .

In support of the second contention, it is argued for the Appellants that where a bequest is made in favour of two persons without any specification of their shares they take as joint-tenants with the right of survivorship, and not as tenants-in-common; and sec. 93 of the Indian Succession Act and the judgment of Couch, C.J, in Mahomed Shumsool Hooda v. Skewukram are relied upon. It is further urged that, while in the bequest in favour of the two grandsons of the testator's father's sister it is expressly said that they are to take the four annas given to them in equal shares, the bequest of the 12 annas to the widows in the same clause (the second) makes no mention of the shares in which they are to take, and that this indicates an intention that they are to take as joint tenants. With reference to the first branch of this argument, though the view contended for is in accordance with the rule of Engliah law (see Jarman on Wills, 5th Ed, p. 1115), yet there is not much in reason to commend it for acceptance. Where any property is bequeathed to two or more persons without any specification of shares, the natural presumption is that they are intended to take in equal shares; and when the estate bequeathed is one of inheritance it is far more reasonable to suppose that each legatee and his heirs are the objects of the testator's bounty than that he intends, that the legatees should take by survivorship, and the heirs of the last surviving legatee should take the whole. We may observe that even in English law the leaning has been in favour of tenancy-in-common and “the Court” as Lord Thurlow remarked in Jolliffe v. East “decrees a tenancy-in-common as much as it can.” Sec. 93 of the Succession Act, which only relates to the case of one of twojoint legatees dying before the testator does not touch the present question. Nor does the judgment of Sir Richard Couch in Mahomed Shamsool Hooda v. Shewukram , in which the Privy Council did not think it necessary to decide the point, lay down the broad rule that the Appellants contend for, the learned Chif Justice distinctly observing as a reason for construing the bequest as creating a joint tenancy, that “it is only by this construction that the estate can be kept in the testator's family, an intention to keep the estate in the testator's family being indicated by the language of the Will and by surrounding circumstances. On the other hand, the Privy Council in Rewan Prasad v. Radha Beebee held that joint legatees in such a case would take as tenants-in-common. The second branch of the argument is however, in our opinion sound; and we think we must construe the second clause of the Will as giving to the widows, as joint-tenants, a life interest in a 12 annas share of the estate, with the right of survivorship. If the intention had been that the widows should take the 12 annas astenants in common, their shares would have been specified in the same way as those of the testator's father's sister's grandsons in the same clause. But after all, in the view we have taken of the bequest in favour of the widows upon the first contention of the Appellants, namely, that it creates only a life es ate, the question whether they took as joint-tenants or as tenants-in-common is not of much practical importance. For even if they took life estates as tenants-in-common upon the death of either, the property bequeathed to her for life must pass to the surviving widow as the next heir of the testator, who would acquire a widow's estate in the same as upon an intestacy, unless stich estate is defeated by some other provisions of the Will.

In the view we have taken of the bequest in favour of the widows, namely, that they took as joint-tenants, a life-estate in the property bequeathed with the right of survivorship, the third contention of the Appellant does not arise.

We come now to the consideration of the fourth contention of the Appellants which involves two questions, namely, what is the meaning and effect of the 4th clause of the Will, which provides that the widows shall forfeit their right upon the happening of certain events? and how far have those events happened? The 4th clause of the Will, of which the translation, as given in the Paper-book is slightly inaccurate, runs thus:—“If there be any dispute or disagreement between my two wives, or if there being any disagreement between either or both of them, and the executor abovenamed she or they live in my family dwelling-house, or according to the rules of Hindu religion in some holy place maintaining a good character, then each of them shall receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 10 for maintenance; but if otherwise, she shall be entirely deprived of her right.” The construction of this clause is not altogether the from difficulty. We think it means this, that if the two widows quarrel with each other or if either or both of them quarrel with the executor, and live either in the testator's family dwelling-house or in some holy place observing the rules of Hindu religion, and leading a chaste life, then each of them shall receive, as maintenance, Rs. 10 a month; but if they act otherwise, that is, if they neither live in the testator's family dwelling-house, nor in a holy place according to the rules of Hindu religion, leading a chaste life, they shall be entirely deprived of their rights so that according to this clause of the Will either widow forfeits her right if she quarrels with her co-widow or with the executor, and does not reside in the testator's family dwelling-house, nor in a holy place, according to the rules of Hindu religion leading a chaste life.

If, therefore, it is proved that the testator's younger widow, the Defendant No. 1 quarrelled with the elder widow Piari Sundar and with the executor and has been residing neither in the testator's family dwelling-house, nor in any holy place but in her father's house, then, in our opinion, forfeiture has been incurred quite apart from the question whether she has been leading an unchaste life, which the Court below has answered in the affirmative. The learned vakil for the Appellants contends upon the authority of Fillingham v. Bromley (22) and the judgment of Lord Cranworth in Claveting v. Ellison (23), that the clause in the Will requiring residence at certain place is void for uncertainty and unreasonableness, that there cannot, therefore, be any forfeiture for breach of such a condition, and that the finding of the Court below upon the question of unchasity is not warranted by the evidence. We are of opinion that there is nothing uncertain or unreasonable in the condition to make it void. For reasons, best known to him, the testator, as the 9th clause of the Will clearly shows, had either no liking for or no confidence in the paternal relations of his wives, and so he naturally insisted upon his widows residing in his family dwelling-house, or should mutual disagreement or disagreements with the executor make that inconvenient, then in some holy place according to the rules of Hindu religion. And considering the habits and mode of life of Hindu widows, none of the difficulties adverted to in the cases cited can arise with reference to the condition in the Will now under consideration. On the other hand, a condition requiring residence in a certain house to entitle the legatee to the estate bequeathed was considered valid by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Tagore v. Tagore and the Bombay High Court in Mulji Bkai Shanket v. Bai Ujam and Grianna v. Honama held that a condition in the husband's Will requiring residence in a certain place to entitle the widow to maintenance was valid in law, and though the learned Judges in both these cases held that breach of the condition for just cause would not defeat the widow's right, no question of just cause can arise here, seeing that the Will itself provides that when residence in the family dwelling-house may become inconvenient, the widow may live in any holy place; nor is there any suggestion that there was any just cause for not complying with this alternative condition. The condition being, in our opinion, valid and binding, let us next see whether it has been broken. The answer to this question need not detain us long. The Defendant No. 1, Bhobotarini, admits in her deposition that after Piari Sundari, her co-widow, had obtained probate she instituted proceedings for revocation of the probate and lost the case; and that she instituted another case for nikas, or accounts against Piari Sundari. She also admits that she had misunderstanding with Modhu Sudan Chakravarti, the executor named in the Will And though Bhobotarini and some of her witnesses such as her brother Chunder Nath Chuckerbutty and her naib Grish Chunder Shikdar say that she lives sometimes at her husbanu's house at Kalagachi and sometimes at her father's at Bachra, we agree with the Court below in thinking that their evidence is unreliable and insufficient to rebut the evidence of the witnesses examined for the Plaintiff, two of whom, Modhu Sudan Maitra and Prasaana Kumar Nundy, who are men of some position and respectability, and appear from the tenor of their deposition to be perfectly fair and straightforward witnesses, we see no reason whatever to disbelieve. These two witnesses prove that for the last six or seven years Bhobotarini has been living at her father's house at Bachra, and though they say that she may have occasionally gone to her husband's family dwelling-house, that cannot amount to her residing there, Bhobotarini's admission that she had quarrels with Piari Sundari, with Modhu Sudan Chakravarti, with the Plaintiff and his mother, and in fact with almost everyone of her husband's relations, goes clearly to corroborate the evidence on the Plaintiff's side that she had left her husband's abode and has been residing at her father's house at Bachra. We therefore find on the evidence that the condition about residence has already been broken, and the forfeiture mentioned in the 4th clause of the Will incurred. In this view of the case it is not necessary to consider the question of unchastity. But as the finding of the Court below upon that question must seriously affect the Defendant No. 1 and as the evidence on the point has been fully discussed before us, and is in our opinion insufficient to warrant that finding, we deem it desirable to state our reasons for disagreeing with the Court below on this point.

We may observe that the evidence shows that there has been, for some years, a good deal of scandal in the village of Bachra concerning Defendant No. 1, arising out of her reckless want of modesty in general, and her unusual familiarity with Defendant No. 2, Kailash Chunder Shaha in particular. We should add that we consider the evidence adduced for the Defendants to show the Koilash Chunder Shaha never goes to see Bhobotarini at Bachra is unreliable, as it is opposed not only to the evidence of the witness Prosonno Kumar Nundy, whom we consider to be perfectly reliable, but also to the probabilities of the case, Kailash Chunder Shaha being the person who has taken a putni of the share of Bhobotarini, and who is looking after her affairs. But though that is so, the question still remains whether the evidence is sufficient to prove the charge of unchastity; and to that question the answer should, we think, be in the negmivs. The witnesses, chiefly relied upon by the Court below upon the point, are Madhub Chunder Chuckerbutty, his son Purnerdu, his nephew Umesh, his priest Modhu Sudan Maitra, and the pleader Durga Kant Chuckcrbutty. But Modhu Sudan Maura, om consider a truthful witness, says:—“I have not myself sein any thin gagains Bhobotarini's ??? but I have heard. As for what Durgakant, Chuckerbutty says in his deposition in this case and his former deposition put in and admitted by him to be correct it is by no means very clear evidence of unchastity, the statements and conduct imputed to Bhobotarini being quite reconcilable with innocence, and being evidence only of want of modesty. The witnesses Madhub, his son and his nephew, no doubt, depose to facts which, if true, would be evidence of unchastity; but considering the ill-feeling existing between Bhoborini and Madhub, as is admitted by Madhub himself, was think it would be unsafe to hold upon their evidence that the serious charge of unchastity brought against Bhobotarini has been established. The remaining witnesses on the point do not call for any special remark., We may observe that their statements, and in particular those of Modhu Sudan Singh, are of an improbable character, the last-named witness evidently attempting to prove too much. Upon the whole evidence then we find the charge of un-chastity brought against Defendant No. 1 not established. Forfeiture under cl. 4 of the Will is, however, as we have said above, incurred by her by reason of her having broken the condition relating; to residence.

But though that is so, what she has forfeited under the Will, she may claim by inheritance as the next heir of the testator, unless there is any valid gift over. This brings us to the consideration of the question raised in the fifth and last contention of the Appellants, namely, whether the gift over under which the Plaintiff claims is valid. The clause in the Will relating to this gift over is the one at the end of the first paragraph, which, as translated in the Paper-book, runs thus:—“And anyone acting contrary thereto [that is to the terms of the Will] should be deprived of his interest, which shall, in due course, devolve on the other heirs.” We should note here that the word in the original which is here translated as “his” is in the common gender and may mean either “his” or “her,” and the word rendered as “heirs” is in the singular number in the original. It is contended by the Appellants that the clause relating to the gift over is void as infringing, if not in its application to the actual event in the present case, at any rate in the possible range of its application, the rule of Hindu law that the donee must be a sentient being, that is not an unborn person. There is no dispute that in the actual event that has happened, that is, on the date that the forfeiture under clause 4, as found above, was incurred, the Plaintiff, who is the sister's son of the testator, was the next heir after the widow, and that be was in existence at the date of the Will and of the testator's death, being in fact the person referred to, though not by name, in the 5th clause of the Will. But it is argued that it was possible that at the date the forfeiture was incurred, some one not in existence at the testator's death, but subsequently born, might have been the next reversionary heir, and if that was so, the gift over, it is said, is void. In support of this argument the case of Lord Dunganmn v. Smith is relied upon. In that case the testator bequeathed certain leasehold estates to trustees in trust to pay the rents and profits to his grandson during his life, and after his death, in trust to permit the person who, for the time being, should take by descent, as heir male of the body of his grandson, to take the rents and profits until the time that some one of such person should attain the age of twenty-one years, and then to convey the premises to that person with a further gift over if no such person should live to attain the age of twenty-one, in favour of certain other descendants of the testator in succession. At the death of the grandson, his son, who was twenty-one years, entered into possession of the leasehold estates. But on a bill filed against him by the next-of-kin, it was held that the gift over under which he claimed was void for remoteness, because, though in the actual event, the property bequeathed might have vested within a life in being and twenty-one years afterwards, yet, at the date of the testator'a death, it could not be said that in any possible event the property must vest, if at all, within the time allowed by law, that is, a life or lives in being and twenty-one years and nine or ten months afterwards; and the opinion expressed by two of the learned Judges that the gift over might be regard as a series of separate gifts to the eldest son of the grandson, if he attained twenty-one years, if not then to the other male heirs of the body of the testator's grandson in succession was not accepted as correct, because there was no gift to the eldest son except as one of a series of parson, and there was no authority for splitting the bequest in the in inner suggested.

It is contended that this case is authority for the position, that in order to determine whether a gift over violates any rule of law, was must look, not to actual events at the date when the benefit of the gift is claimed, but to possible events at the date of the testator's death. We are unable to accept this broad contention as correct.

The decision in the case cited is based upon the ground, that it is a settled rule of English law affirmed by a long series of decisions, that a bequest is void for remoteness unless it necessarily vests, if at all, within a life or lives in being or twenty-one years and nine or ten months afterwards. Is there any similarly settled rule of law applicable to this case, that 1 bequest is void unless it necessarily is in favour of persons, all of whom are in existence at the date of the testator' deaht ??? is, the gift over will fail, unless it is possible to construe it as a series of gifts over, one or more of which may be valid and the rest void. If not, there is no reason why the gift over should not be valid; so far as it enures to the benefit of the Plaintiff who unquestionably was in existence at the date of the testator's death. It was at one time thought that there was such a rule of law applicable to bequests by Hindus, and it was held in the cases of Soudaminey Dasee v. Joges Chunder Dutt and Kherode Money v. Durga Money following Leake v. Robinson that a bequest to a class, some of whom may come into existence after the testator's death, was wholly void. But it has now been authoritatively settled by the decision of the Privy Council in Rai Bishen Chand v. Mussammut Asmaia Koer that this view is incorrect, being supported neither by the Hindu law nor by any of the provisions of the Indian Succession Act, which have been made applicable to Hidus. In that case, their Lordships of the Judicial Committee held that a gift in favour of the donor's grandson Satrujit, and the brothers of Satrujit that may be subsequently born, was valid so far as Satrujit's interest was concerned. And following that case, this Court held in Ram Lal Set v. Kanai Lal Set that a gift by a Hindu to his two living grandsons and to their brothers that may be born afterwards conveyed a valid title to the two living grandsons. If that is so, there is still greater reason why the Plaintiff, who was in existence at the date of the testator's death and was and is the next reversionary heir after his widows, should be held entitled to take under the gift over. He is not one of several joint donees, some of whom are incompetent to take, but is one of a series of persons of whom he who is the next reversioner at the date that the widow's interest ceases is intended to take; and he answered that description at the time when that interest ceased. It was clearly the intention of the testator that in the event which has happened, he should take the estate; and there is no reason why effect should not be given to that intention.

The grounds urged before us, therefore, all fail, and the decree appealed frond must be affirmed, except as regards costs. But seeing that the question about the construction of the Will is not altogether free from difficulty, and seeing also that the charge of unchastity brought against Defendant No. 1 has not been established, we think the Defendants, though unsuccessful, should not be made liable for the costs of the Plaintiff. The result then is that the decree of the Court below will be affirmed except so far as it makes the Defendants liable for the costs of the Plaintiff, and the parties will bear their own costs in this Court and in the Court below.

H.P.C
Appeal dismissed; decree modified only as to costs.