KALAWATIBAI vs SOIRYABAI AND OTHERS

The Supreme Court held that a Hindu widow could not alienate her entire estate inherited from her husband by gift prior to the enforcement of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, specifically under Section 14. The Court clarified that the donee under such a gift would not acquire absolute ownership but rather a limited interest, and any claim of adverse possession against reversioners was not valid during the widow's lifetime. The appeals were dismissed, affirming that reversioners could claim possession within 12 years of the widow's death, as established under the Hindu Succession Act.