VEERATTALINGAM AND OTHERS vs RAMESH AND OTHERS

The Supreme Court addressed the interpretation of a will under Section 174 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, emphasizing that a court must ascertain the testator's intention from the document's language and surrounding circumstances. The Court held that the plaintiffs and defendant Nos. 5 to 14 are entitled to equal shares of one-thirteenth each in the suit properties, rejecting the defendants' claim for per capita distribution. The Court affirmed the High Court's finding that a prior partition in 1975 was illegal and not binding on the plaintiffs.