The court’s ruling follows a 34‑year dispute over a 3‑bigha parcel allotted in 1972 to the late Mr. Yadav under Himachal Pradesh’s Nautor Rules. When he died in 1990, his wife petitioned for the patta, but the document never materialised, leaving the land unregistered in either of their names.
The daughter, a Class‑I legal heir under the Hindu Succession Act, pressed her claim in 2012 after her mother’s death, arguing she was not seeking a fresh allotment but merely the patta for the land already granted to her father. She cited the 1968 Nautor Land Rules, which permit sons or daughters to apply only after the allottee’s death, and noted no clause excluded married daughters.
In its judgment, the High Court examined Rules 7 and 8 and found no provision denying married daughters the right to claim the land. The court clarified that the restriction applies only while the father is alive and does not bar a married daughter once the parent has died.
A 1980 administrative circular had suggested exempting married daughters from receiving the patta, but the court held that such a clarification could not supersede statutory law and that the Hindu Succession Act now recognises married daughters as coparceners.
Accordingly, the court directed the revenue authorities to issue the patta in the daughter’s name within two months, underscoring that the decision affirms her entitlement as a Class‑I legal heir. The ruling is expected to prompt a review of similar unregistered plots across the state.