PUNITHAVALLI AMMAL vs RAMALINGAM (MINOR) AND ANR

The Supreme Court held that the full ownership conferred on a Hindu female under Section 14(1) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, is not defeasible by an adoption made after the Act's enactment. The Court clarified that the rights of a Hindu female under this section are not limited by any rule of Hindu law, and the fiction of relation back in adoption does not apply post-enactment. The Court upheld the validity of the settlement deed made by the widow, affirming her status as full owner of the property.