How to transfer property in case of an unborn child

There are several conflicts associated with cases relating to property rights of an unborn child if a will mention the transfer of property to such a child whereas the owner passes away before the birth of such a baby.

Team Law Community
December 18, 2020

There are several conflicts associated with cases relating to property rights of an unborn child if a will mention the transfer of property to such a child whereas the owner passes away before the birth of such a baby.


Here could be a transient on the property rights of an unborn kid within the eyes of the law: 


Rights of an unborn kid beneath the Property Act

While Section five of the Transfer of Property Act says that a property will solely be transferred to a living person, Sections thirteen, fourteen and eighteen of the Act wear down the law to transfer property for the advantage of the unborn kid. It says to transfer property a previous "interest" must be created. This implies a trustee must be appointed for the advantage of the yet-to-be-born kid. This "interest" should contain the entirety of the remaining interest within the property of the one who wishes to transfer the property. Otherwise, the transfer won't go.


Section thirteen says that there can not be an instantaneous transfer to someone who isn't alive on the date of the transfer. It is for the reason that the section uses the phrase "for the benefit of" and not "transfer to an unborn person".


It is to be noted that a child in a mother's female internal reproductive organ is taken into account to be alive in keeping with the law.


Form a trust: The property will be transferred to an unborn kid; however, through a trust, ultimately. If a trust isn't fashioned, the property should be transferred in favour of a living person then to the minor.


The unborn person should acquire “existence” before the death of the last estate holder. With existence, it suggests that to be in an exceedingly mother's female internal reproductive organ and not the particular birth. 

For a present deed created in favour of unborn offspring that isn't in respect of the real interest within the property, the deed will be controlled as a sound document as Associate in Nursing possession document.


Right of an unborn child beneath the Hindu Succession Act

Section twenty of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, deals with the rights of unborn kids that's within the female internal reproductive organ of the mother. The very fact rules the property rights of unborn kid that if the kid who was within the female internal reproductive organ at the time of the death of the person who wishes to transfer the property and who is after born alive shall have an equivalent right to inherit as if he or she had been born before the death of the landholder, and also the inheritance shall be deemed to vest in such a case with impact from the date of the death of the intestate.


According to Section 20 of the Act, the unborn child who has to acquire existence can inherit solely if—

(i) the kid was formed at the time of death of the landholder, and

(ii) the kid is born alive


The child can inherit within the same manner as if he were born before the death of the landholder if the on top of conditions are met. Any child, male or feminine, WHO is in the mother's womb at the time of the death of the landholder is taken into account to come back into existence within the eyes of the law.


Right of an unborn child beneath Muslim Law and rights present to an unborn person is void except just in case of Wakf.