In Shakuntala & Ors. v. Robert Anthony & Ors. (2026 INSC 765), the Supreme Court clarified how property devolves among Christian heirs under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The dispute concerned land purchased in 1959, but the sale deed was registered jointly in the names of the deceased man’s two wives. The Supreme Court held that the wives were the legal owners of the property, holding 50% each, even though their husband had paid the purchase price. Therefore, the property could not be treated as the husband’s estate for succession purposes. The Court explained that Section 33 ISA, which governs succession to a deceased Christian male’s property, applies only to property actually owned by him. Section 35 is equally important because it gives a widower the same inheritance rights as a widow in respect of the deceased spouse’s property. The Court emphasized that succession must be examined step-by-step after each death, rather than calculating shares as a single inheritance event.