I am a widow and I have made a will. However, I keep redistributing my investments. For instance, recently, a fixed deposit matured and I reinvested in a mutual fund. Do I have to change my will each time? How should I list the changes? — Veena Saxena
It is recommended that you prepare a specific will. New changes can be implemented in a will by attaching an addendum, which is legally known as a codicil, followed by the signature of the testator and attestation by two witnesses.
I have built a house on land that is in my wife’s name, but I have paid for purchase of land and construction from my earnings. Please advise whether I or my wife can prepare a will for this property. – S.P. Singh
The registered name in government records as the owner of the house has the right, title and interest in the house, based on which the person can make a will by specifying the property. Hence, in this case, your wife can prepare the will for the house. If the title of the property comes into question, the concerned court will inquire about the details, otherwise, your wife will have the right to bequeath the house to anyone she wants as she is the recorded owner of the house.
My grandfather had purchased land on which he had built a small house. Later, one of my uncles demolished it and built a two-storey building with his money. By then my father had separated from the family due to some dispute. My grandfather transferred the property to my uncle with all legal formalities and all the siblings signed a no-objection certificate. My father’s signature was forged and we have this document. What are the options that my uncle could exercise with the property? If he has made a will, which does not consider my father’s share, how do we get to know about it? If he dies intestate, who can stake a claim to this property? — Hitesh Kumar
In future, your uncle will have the right to take any decision regarding the property if it is currently in his name. The contents of the will shall be disclosed only after the death of the testator, not before that. There is no other way to know the contents of your uncle’s will in his lifetime. In accordance with the terms of the statute, the legal heirs of your uncle are entitled to claim his properties if he dies as an intestate.
