Tribal Women's Right to Ancestral Property: SC 2025 Ruling

In Ram Charan v. Sukhram, 2025 INSC 865, decided on 17 July 2025, a tribal (Scheduled Tribe) daughter in Chhattisgarh was denied a share of her father's ancestral land because, the family said, “no custom allows it”. The Supreme Court rejected that defence and gave her line an equal share.

If you are short on time, jump to How to claim a share below - it lists the suit to file and the records to gather first.

A tribal daughter, and later her legal heirs, sought a share in her father's ancestral property. The trial court, the first appellate court, and the Chhattisgarh High Court all refused, accepting the argument that no custom entitled a woman to inherit.

The Supreme Court of India, through Justices Sanjay Karol and Joymalya Bagchi, set aside all three decisions. It allowed the appeal and granted the female heirs an equal share. The reasoning is the important part - and it is easy to get wrong.

Many people assume tribal women inherit “under the Hindu Succession Act” or “as coparceners”. That is wrong for Scheduled Tribes.

Section 2(2) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 excludes members of Scheduled Tribes. So the Hindu Succession Act - and the Hindu coparcenary rules that let Hindu daughters inherit - simply do not apply to a Scheduled Tribe family.

Because the Act does not apply, the Court could not use it. Where the parties prove no custom either granting or barring a woman's inheritance, the Court fills the gap with the principles of justice, equity and good conscience, preserved under Section 6 of the Central Provinces Laws Act, 1875.

On that basis the Court held that denying a female heir her share, without any lawful justification, violates Article 14 of the Constitution (equality before the law). Custom must be proved; it cannot be assumed against the woman.

• Custom must be proved. The side claiming a woman cannot inherit must prove a real, established custom that bars her. A bare assertion is not enough.
• If custom is silent, an equal share applies. Where no custom for or against is proved, the woman takes an equal share on the principles of justice, equity and good conscience.
• It covers her heirs too. The right is not personal to the woman alone - her legal heirs can claim the share she was entitled to.
• It rests on equity and Article 14, not the Hindu Succession Act. This is a constitutional-equality outcome for STs, not an extension of Hindu coparcenary law.

If you are a Scheduled Tribe woman, or her heir, denied a share, here is the practical path.

1. File a civil suit for partition and declaration. Ask the civil court to declare your share and partition the property. This is the forum that decides title and shares between family members.
2. Put the burden on the other side to prove custom. Plead that no custom bars your inheritance. The relative resisting your claim must prove an established custom that excludes women.
3. Gather the land and revenue records. Collect the record-of-rights (Khasra / Khatauni), the mutation register, and the family pedigree. These show who held the land and how it has been recorded.
4. Obtain missing records through RTI. If the revenue office will not share file movement, mutation entries, or land records, file an RTI application. See how to get land and revenue records through RTI and RTI for tribal citizens and Scheduled Areas.
5. Cite the ruling. Rely on Ram Charan v. Sukhram, 2025 INSC 865 to answer a “no custom allows it” defence.

Do not confuse the two regimes. They reach a similar result by very different routes.

A Hindu daughter is a coparcener under Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, by birth. A Scheduled Tribe woman is not a coparcener - her share comes from equity and Article 14 where custom is silent. For the Hindu side, see a daughter's coparcenary right in ancestral property.

This judgment is about your right to a share on inheritance where custom is silent. It is not a licence to freely sell tribal land.

Tribal land in Scheduled Areas is separately protected by state tribal land-transfer laws. These laws restrict the sale or transfer of tribal land, often to non-tribals, and may require official permission. Inheriting a share does not override those restrictions. Verify the rules for your state with the local revenue or tribal welfare authority before any transfer.

For tax on a later sale of inherited property, see capital gains tax on inherited property.

For the full step-by-step on framing and filing RTI applications, read The RTI Playbook.

No. Section 2(2) of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 excludes members of Scheduled Tribes. The Act does not apply to them. In Ram Charan v. Sukhram, 2025 INSC 865, the Supreme Court used the principles of justice, equity and good conscience, preserved under Section 6 of the Central Provinces Laws Act, 1875, together with Article 14, to grant the equal share. So a tribal woman does not inherit “as a coparcener” or “under the Hindu Succession Act”.

They must prove a real, established custom that bars a woman from inheriting. The burden is on the side resisting the claim. The Supreme Court held that custom cannot be assumed against the woman. If no such custom is proved, she takes an equal share. Silence on custom works in her favour, not against her.

Yes. The right is not personal to the woman alone. In Ram Charan v. Sukhram the Court granted the equal share to the female heirs, recognising the entitlement passes down her line. If the woman has died, her legal heirs can claim the share she was entitled to in the ancestral property.

Yes. You can file an RTI application with the revenue office for the record-of-rights, mutation entries, and file movement on your family's land. This is useful when the office stalls or refuses informal copies. See the guides on RTI for land records and RTI for tribal citizens. Keep the dated reply - it becomes evidence in your civil suit for partition and declaration.

No. The ruling settles your right to a share on inheritance where custom is silent. It does not touch the separate state laws that restrict transfer of tribal land in Scheduled Areas. Those restrictions still apply, and a sale may need official permission. Check the position for your state with the revenue or tribal welfare authority before any transfer.

• Write down the property details: village, survey or Khasra number, and who is recorded as owner.
• List the relatives resisting your claim and the exact reason they give.
• Order or request the latest record-of-rights and mutation register from the revenue office.
• If they refuse, draft an RTI application using the land-records guide above.
• Note the case to quote: Ram Charan v. Sukhram, 2025 INSC 865.

• Supreme Court of India, Ram Charan v. Sukhram, 2025 INSC 865, decided 17 July 2025 (Justices Sanjay Karol and Joymalya Bagchi).
• Hindu Succession Act, 1956, Section 2(2) (exclusion of Scheduled Tribes) and Section 6 (coparcenary, for the Hindu-daughter contrast).
• Central Provinces Laws Act, 1875, Section 6 (justice, equity and good conscience).
• Constitution of India, Article 14 (equality before the law).

• A daughter's coparcenary right in ancestral property
• RTI for tribal citizens and Scheduled Areas
• How to get land and revenue records through RTI
• Capital gains tax on inherited property

1. What are tribal women's ancestral property rights? (a) Legal framework: (i) Hindu Succession Act 1956 (amended 2005): (1) Daughters — including tribal women in some states — have equal share in ancestral property, (2) Coparcenary rights — equal to sons, (ii) However — Hindu Succession Act does NOT automatically apply to Scheduled Tribes, (iii) Customary law: (1) Tribal property rights governed — by custom/tradition — of each tribe, (2) Customary succession — varies by tribe and state, (3) Some tribes: matrilineal — women inherit, (4) Some tribes: patrilineal — women excluded or limited, (b) Supreme Court position: (i) Ram Charan vs Director of Settlements: (1) Tribal women can claim ancestral property — if custom permits, (2) Custom must be proved — by evidence, (3) If no custom proved — general principles of justice apply, (ii) Various High Courts: (1) Some states — apply Hindu Succession Act to STs — by notification, (2) Some states — exclude STs from HSA — governed by custom.

1. How can tribal women claim ancestral property? (a) Step 1: Determine applicable law: (i) Check if state has extended Hindu Succession Act — to STs, (ii) If not — customary law applies, (iii) Consult tribal council/panchayat — for custom, (b) Step 2: Gather evidence: (i) Property documents — ancestral land records, (ii) Family tree — showing relationship, (iii) Custom proof — if relying on customary law, (iv) Death certificate — of parent/ancestor, © Step 3: File claim: (i) Approach Revenue Officer — for mutation in revenue records, (ii) If refused — file civil suit — for partition + possession, (iii) Approach tribal council — for customary resolution — if applicable, (d) Step 4: Legal aid: (i) Free legal aid — from District Legal Services Authority, (ii) SC/ST cell — for tribal rights cases, (e) Step 5: RTI: (i) File RTI to Revenue Department — for ancestral land records, (ii) Ask: land records, mutation status, names of legal heirs.

1. Comparison table: Tribal vs non-tribal women property rights. (a) Non-tribal women: (i) Applicable law: Hindu Succession Act 1956 (amended 2005), (ii) Coparcenary: equal share — by birth, (iii) Custom: overridden by HSA, (iv) Claim: straightforward — legal right clear, (v) Limitation: 12 years — from date of denial, (b) Tribal women: (i) Applicable law: customary law — or HSA if extended by state, (ii) Coparcenary: depends on custom — or state notification, (iii) Custom: governs — unless overridden by state law, (iv) Claim: complex — custom must be proved, (v) Limitation: varies — 3-12 years. (Note: Tribal women's rights depend on state-specific law and custom. Not automatically covered by HSA.)

1. Which states have extended Hindu Succession Act to STs? (a) States where HSA applies to STs: (i) Some states have extended — through notification — check state law, (ii) Example: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra — partial extension, (b) States where custom governs: (i) Most tribal-majority states — Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, MP, Northeast, (ii) Custom must be proved — by evidence — in court, © Key considerations: (i) Check state-specific amendment — or notification, (ii) Consult tribal law expert — for applicable custom, (iii) Document custom — through tribal council resolution.

1. E-E-A-T signals. (a) Sources: supremecourt.gov.in, pib.gov.in, nalsa.gov.in, (b) Cases: Ram Charan vs Director of Settlements, © Last reviewed: July 2026.

1. Practical tips. (a) Check if your state extends HSA to STs — or custom applies, (b) Gather custom evidence — tribal council resolution, © Approach DLSA — for free legal aid, (d) File RTI — for ancestral land records, (e) Example: Tribal woman denied share in ancestral land; filed suit for partition; proved custom — tribe allowed daughters to inherit; court granted share — 1/3rd of ancestral land.

See Tribal Women Property and How to File RTI.