legislations.in
In force Central Act No. 15 of 1916

The Hindu Disposition of Property Act, 1916

An Act to remove certain existing disabilities in respect of the power of disposition of property by Hindus for the benefit of persons not in existence at the date of such disposition.

Enacted
28 September 1916
Ministry
Ministry of Law and Justice
Sections
5
Text retrieved
15 September 2026
Download

Unofficial text. This copy is for reference and has no legal authority. Check the Gazette of India before relying on it. View on India Code

Source and data quality
Source
India Code, Legislative Department (record 123456789/496433)
Retrieved
15 September 2026
Extraction method
sections
Quality score
1.000 out of 1

1. Short title and extent

(1)

This Act may be called the Hindu Disposition of Property Act, 1916. [(2) It extends to the whole of India ***.]

Amendment notes (4)
  1. Subs w.e.f. 1-2-1960 . Subs. by Act 48 of 1959, s. 3 and Sch. I, for sub-section (2) (w.e.f. 1-2-1960).
  2. omitted . The words "except the State of Jammu and Kashmir" omitted by Act 34 of 2019, s. 95 and the Fifth Schedule (w.e.f. 31-10- 2019).
  3. . The Act has been extended to Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and Sch.
  4. inserted In its application to Pondicherry, in section 1, after sub-section (2), the following shall be inserted "Provided that nothing contained in this Act, shall apply to the Renoncants of the Union territory of Pondicherry. "--(Vide Act 26 of 1968).

2. Dispositions for the benefit of persons not in existence

Subject to the limitations and provisions specified in this Act, no disposition of property by a Hindu, whether by transfer inter vivos or by will, shall be invalid by reason only that any person for whose benefit it may have been made was not in existence at the date of such disposition.

3. Limitations and conditions

The limitations and provisions referred to in section 2 shall be the following, namely:--

(a)

in respect of dispositions by transfer inter vivos, those contained in [Chapter II] of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 (4 of 1882), and

(b)

in respect of dispositions by will, those contained in [sections 113, 114, 115 and 116 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 (33 of 1925)].

Amendment notes (2)
  1. Subs . Subs. by Act 21 of 1929, s. 12, for "sections 13, 14 and 20".
  2. Subs . Subs. by s. 12, ibid., for "sections 100 and 101 of the Indian Succession Act, 1865".

4. [Repealed.]

[Failure of prior disposition.] Rep. by the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Supplementary Act, 1929 (21 of1929), s. 12.

5. Application of this Act to the Khoja community

Where the [State Government] is of opinion that the Khoja community in [the State] or any part thereof desire that the provisions of this Act should be extended to such community [it] may by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that the provisions of this Act, with the substitution of the word "Khojas" or "Khoja", as the case may be, for the word "Hindus" or "Hindu" wherever those words occur, shall apply to that community in such area as may be specified in the notification, and this Act shall thereupon have effect accordingly.

Amendment notes (3)
  1. Subs . Subs. by the A.O. 1937, for "G.G. in C"..
  2. Subs . Subs., ibid., for "British India".
  3. Subs . Subs., ibid., for "he".