Irrelevance of hindu succession act provisions in maintenance claims

The provisions, classifications, and rules of succession laid down under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, are completely distinct and alien to the interpretation of maintenance rights under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. The entitlement to inherit property under succession law operates on different statutory criteria compared to the entitlement to claim maintenance as a dependant under maintenance law. Courts evaluating a petition for maintenance filed under Section 22 of the Act must base their decisions strictly on the provisions contained in Chapter III of the Act. Principles governing Class I or Class II heirs under intestate succession cannot be imported to restrict or alter the defined categories of "dependants" under Section 21. Merely because a relative may or may not inherit property directly under succession laws does not strip them of their status as a dependant under maintenance provisions. The statutory scheme for maintenance is self-contained and operates independently of general rules of inheritance. Consequently, maintenance claims under the Act must be decided purely on its own statutory terms without reliance on succession laws. (Kanchana Rai v. Geeta Sharma & Ors. | 2026 INSC 54)