# TAHSIL NAIDU & ANR v. KULLA NAIDU & ORS - **Citation:** [1970] 2 S.C.R. 499 - **Court:** Supreme Court of India - **Decided:** 1969-09-18 - **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 1795 of 1966 - **Bench:** V. Bhargava, K. S. Hegde, A. N. Ray - **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/tahsil-naidu-anr-v-kulla-naidu-ors-4853 - **Pages:** 18 ## Headnote Hindu Law-Adoption ~v wl'doll', with sapindas' consent-Principles cpplicable-Nearest sapinda, woman-If her consent necessary to validate adoption. A Hindu widow in the Dravida country, who had no authority from her hc15band to adopt, adopted a son with the consent of two out of three )f her nearest male sapindas in 1955. The two sapindas gave their written consent in re·sponse to her letters asking for their consent wherein she stated that the object of the adoption was the proper pe'rformance of ceremonies for the benefit of her husband and his ancestors. They also signed the adoption deed which mentioned the purpose of the adoption. The widow, however, did not obtain the. consent of her husband's grandmother, who was nearer in degree than these two sapindas. On the question of the validity of the adoption, HELD : (I) The validity of an adoption has to be judged by spiritual rather than tempofai considerations. But, in a case where the widow makes an. adoption after obtaining her sapindas' consent, her motive need not be inquired into because, the very fact that the sapindas had given their consent was a guarantee that the adoption was being made for proper reasons. f505 G·HJ (2) It is only when a sapinda refuses consent that it becomes relevant to see whether the !refusal was justified on the ground that the adoption was not for proper objects. Where a sapinda gives consent, the very fact that the consent was given implies that the adoption was considered desirable and was being resorted to by the widow for spiritual con·siderations. [509 C-EJ In the present case, the consenting sapindas had no personal motives in giving the consent, spiritual benefit of her husband was in fact one of the considerations for the Widow making the adoption, and the sapindas had not merely an implied but express knowledge that the adoption was being resorted tO by the widow for spiritual considerations. Though one of them was not examined as a witness, his consent letter was proved by a witness in who•e p!resence he signed the letter. [508 A-B; 510 A-BJ ( 3) The consent of the majority o( the nearest sapindas would be su11L cient to satisfy the requirement that a widow should consult the nearest sapindas. Therefore, the consent given by two out of three equally near sapindas, was sufficient to support the adoption. [508 G-HJ ( 4) The consent of a sapinda for adoption by a widow, who has no authority from her husband1 was required under Hindu law, because, a woman is considered incapable of exercising independent judgment in the matt~r. In the present case if the g\"andmother of the deceased husband were to desire to adopt a son, herself would have to obtain the consent of her ·sapindas in the absence of her husband's authority, because of her incapacity to exercise independent judgment: and it would follow that she could hardly be a competent adviser to another widow, namely, her grand· 500 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970) 2 S .. C.R. son's widow on the same matter. Therefore, even if she happens to be the nearest sapinda there could be no requirenlent that her consent must be obtained for validating the adoption. [511 E-F; G-H; 512 BJ (5) The reference in The Collector of Madura v. Mootoo Ramalinga Sethupatty, 11 M.l.A. 397, to kindred or kinsmen, whose consent is to be obtained by a widow for a valid adoption, is to male agnates only. In that case, the opinion of the mother-in-law regarding the adoption by her daughter-in-daw was considered important by the Judicial Committee only because of the. special authority granted to the mother-in-law by her son and not because, in every case, the . consent of a mother-in-law was neces· sary to make an adoption by the daughter-in-law vali!i, or that her consent must be obtained on the ground that she is the nearest Kindred alive. [512 F; 513 B-C; 514 HJ V.T .S. Chandrasekhara Mudaliar v. Kulandai Veli \1udalicr [1963] 2 S.C.R. 4'10, followed. Raghanadha v. Brojo Kishoro, [1876J LR. 3 I.A. 154, Veera Bcsav ## Text _Characters 0–39,771 of 46,791. This is a partial read: ask again with offset=39771 for what follows._ A B D E fl 499 TAHSIL NAIDU & ANR. v. KULLA NAIDU & ORS. September 18, 1969 (V. BHARGAVA, K. S. HEGDE AND A. N. RAY, JJ.J Hindu Law-Adoption ~v wl'doll', with sapindas' consent-Principles cpplicable-Nearest sapinda, woman-If her consent necessary to validate adoption. A Hindu widow in the Dravida country, who had no authority from her hc15band to adopt, adopted a son with the consent of two out of three )f her nearest male sapindas in 1955. The two sapindas gave their written consent in re·sponse to her letters asking for their consent wherein she stated that the object of the adoption was the proper pe'rformance of ceremonies for the benefit of her husband and his ancestors. They also signed the adoption deed which mentioned the purpose of the adoption. The widow, however, did not obtain the. consent of her husband's grandmother, who was nearer in degree than these two sapindas. On the question of the validity of the adoption, HELD : (I) The validity of an adoption has to be judged by spiritual rather than tempofai considerations. But, in a case where the widow makes an. adoption after obtaining her sapindas' consent, her motive need not be inquired into because, the very fact that the sapindas had given their consent was a guarantee that the adoption was being made for proper reasons. f505 G·HJ (2) It is only when a sapinda refuses consent that it becomes relevant to see whether the !refusal was justified on the ground that the adoption was not for proper objects. Where a sapinda gives consent, the very fact that the consent was given implies that the adoption was considered desirable and was being resorted to by the widow for spiritual con·siderations. [509 C-EJ In the present case, the consenting sapindas had no personal motives in giving the consent, spiritual benefit of her husband was in fact one of the considerations for the Widow making the adoption, and the sapindas had not merely an implied but express knowledge that the adoption was being resorted tO by the widow for spiritual considerations. Though one of them was not examined as a witness, his consent letter was proved by a witness in who•e p!resence he signed the letter. [508 A-B; 510 A-BJ ( 3) The consent of the majority o( the nearest sapindas would be su11L cient to satisfy the requirement that a widow should consult the nearest sapindas. Therefore, the consent given by two out of three equally near sapindas, was sufficient to support the adoption. [508 G-HJ ( 4) The consent of a sapinda for adoption by a widow, who has no authority from her husband1 was required under Hindu law, because, a woman is considered incapable of exercising independent judgment in the matt~r. In the present case if the g\"andmother of the deceased husband were to desire to adopt a son, herself would have to obtain the consent of her ·sapindas in the absence of her husband's authority, because of her incapacity to exercise independent judgment: and it would follow that she could hardly be a competent adviser to another widow, namely, her grand· 500 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970) 2 S .. C.R. son's widow on the same matter. Therefore, even if she happens to be the nearest sapinda there could be no requirenlent that her consent must be obtained for validating the adoption. [511 E-F; G-H; 512 BJ (5) The reference in The Collector of Madura v. Mootoo Ramalinga Sethupatty, 11 M.l.A. 397, to kindred or kinsmen, whose consent is to be obtained by a widow for a valid adoption, is to male agnates only. In that case, the opinion of the mother-in-law regarding the adoption by her daughter-in-daw was considered important by the Judicial Committee only because of the. special authority granted to the mother-in-law by her son and not because, in every case, the . consent of a mother-in-law was neces· sary to make an adoption by the daughter-in-law vali!i, or that her consent must be obtained on the ground that she is the nearest Kindred alive. [512 F; 513 B-C; 514 HJ V.T .S. Chandrasekhara Mudaliar v. Kulandai Veli \1udalicr [1963] 2 S.C.R. 4'10, followed. Raghanadha v. Brojo Kishoro, [1876J LR. 3 I.A. 154, Veera Bcsavaraju v. Balasurya Prasada Rao, [1918J L.R. 45 I.A. 265 and Glil>nta China Ramasubba,vya v. Moparthi Chenchuram.ayya,·L.R. 74 I.A. 162, .applied. c Varadamma v. Kanchi Scnkara Reddi A.I.R. 1957 A.P. 933, approved. Observations Contra in Rajah Damara Kumara Venkctappa Nayanim D Bahadur Varu v. Damara Renga Rao l.L.R. 39 Mad. 772 and Maharajah of Kolhapur v. S. Sundaram A,vyar, I.L.R. 48 Mad. I, 204, disapproved. CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 1795 of 1966. Appeal from the judgment and decree dated March 1, 1962 of the Madras High Court in Appeals Nos. 66 and 166 of 1958. .E S. T. Desai, B. Datta, K. Jayal'tlm, I. B. Dadachanji, 0. C. Mathur an\l Ravinder Narain, for the appellants. A. K. Sen, T. V. Balakrishnan and Naunit Lal, for respondents Nos. 1 and 2. R. Gopalakrishnan, for respondents Nos. 5, 7 and 8. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by Bhargava, J. This appeal arises out of a suit fpr partition instituted by the two appellants claiming a share in the joint Hindu /fahtily property as successors-in-interest of one Kothandaraman '!(llias Kumarasami Naidu who died in the year 1943. When Xothandaraman died, he, his father Rangappa Naidu, his uncle Ramasami Naidu, and the latter's son Kullan alias Kumaraswami formed a Joint Hindu family. Kothandaram died leaving his widow Nagarathinammal who was plaintiff No. 2 and is appel· lant No. 2 in this appeal. His father Rapgappa Naidu was also alive; but he died in .the year 1944. On the death of Rangappa Naidu, Ramasami Naidu, his brother, became the 'karta' of the joint family which included his son, Kullan alias Kumaraswami, , G H A 8 c D E F G H TAHSIL NAIDU V, KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, J.) 501 and plaintiff No. 2, the widow of Kothandaraman. Ramaswami Naidu executed a· will on 11th July, 1949 bequeathing portions of the joint family properties to various members of the family, because he was in actual possession of all the properties. Subsequently, in the same year 1949, Ramasami Naidu died. Some of the properties were transferred by persons who took possession of the properties in accordance with the will of Ramasami Naidu. Then, according to plaintiff Ne.. 2, she, on 26th January, 1955, adopted plaintiff No. 1, Tahsil Naidu, as a son and partition of the property was claimed on the basis that, after his adoption, Tahsil Naidu was entitled to a half share in the properties of the joint family. It was further urged that the will made by Ramasami Naidu was void and ineffective, and that the various transfers of th~ properties were also not binding on him. The suit was instituted by the two plaintiffs because defendant No. 1, Kuilan alias Kumaraswami Naidu, who was under the guardianship of his mother J ayammal, defendant No. 2, refused to recognise the adoption, challenged its validity and did not accede to the request to give a share in the property to the plaintiffs. The main question that arose in the suit for decision was whether the adoption of plaintiff No. 1 by plaintiff No. 2 was valid. It was the admitted case of the parties that Kothandaram had died without giving any authority to his wife Nagarathinalilmal to adopt a son. The claim on behalf of the plaintiffs was that, even in the absence of authority from her husband, plaintiff No. 2 was entitled 'to adopt a son after obtaining the consent of the nearest sapindas of her husband. The case put forward was that she gave a notice to Jayammal and Kullan minor to give their consent to the adoption of plaintiff No, 1 who was the son of Damodaran, brother of plaintiff No. 2, and who was further the son of the real sister of Kothandaraman. However, without waiting for any consent being given by Jayammal, plaintiff No. 2 proceeded with the adoption after obtaining consent of the next three nearest Sapindas, Rangappa Naidu, Devarajalu and Umavadan alias. Rangan. Though, at the first ~tage, there was some dispute about the pedigree, by ~he time the case came up before the High Court the pedigree, which was set up on behalf of the appellants in the plaint, was accep'.ed as correct. According to that pedigree, when Kothandaraman died, and even when the adoption took place, his grand-mother Ammakutti Ammal was also alive. She, in fact, died after the institution of the suit. Apart from her, Kuilan and J ayammal, the n~arest Sapindas of Kothandaramail at the time of adoption were Rangappa Naidu, Devarajalu and Umavadan. The plaintiffs therefore, claimed that the adoption was made with their consent as, under the Hindu Law applicable in Madras, it was not necessary to obtain the consent 502 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970) 2 S.C.R. ·either of the minor Kuilan, or of the two females Jayammal, widow of Ramasami Naidu, and Ammakutti Ammal, grandmot- .her of Kothandaraman. The suit was resisted on behalf of the defendants challenging the validity of the adoption on two grounds. The first ground was that, in fact, the consent to file adoption was not obtained from Rangappa, Devarajalu and Umavadan as pleaded on behalf of the plaintiffs and, in any case, if the consent was obtained, it was not properly given by those Sapindas after exercising their independent judgment as required, so thai the consent could not validate the adoption. The second ground was that, admittedly, Ammakutti Ammal, the grandmother of Kothandaraman, was also a Sapinda and n.:arer in degree to the three persons consulted. Since her conseni was never obtained, the adoption must be held to have been resorted to without the consent of the nearest sapinda and was, cons~quently, invalid. The trial Court held that the adoption was valid, and consequently, granted a preliminary decree for partition. The High Court of Madras, in appeal, differed from the trial Court. On the first question, the High Court did not express a definite opinion in its judgment and contended itself with stating that it is probable that the adoption was thought of by plaintiff No. 2 mor.~ with an idea of getting the properties than being actuated by a genuine religious motive and, further, that it was doubtful whether the plaintiffs had succeeded in proving that the adoption was made with the consent of the three sapindas, Rangappa Naidu, Devarajalu and Umavadan. On the second point, however, the High Court accepted the plea put fo:ward on b~half of the defendants that it was necessary for. the adoption to be valid that the consent of Ammakutti Ammal, the grand-mother of Kothand&raman, should nave been obtained even though she was a female Sapinda. The High Court repelled the contention of the plaintiffs-appellants that it was not necessary to obtain the consent of female sapindas for a valid' adoption and that Hindu law only requires consent of the nearest male sapindas. On this view, the High Court allowed the appeal, set aside the decree passed by the trial Court and dismissed the suit of the plaintiffs. Consequently, the plaintiffs have ~.ome up to this Court in this appeal by certificate under Art. 133 of the Constitution. A B c D E F G On the first point, Mr. S. T. Desai appearing on behalf of the appellants, drew our attention to file decision of this Court in V. T. S. Chandarasekhara Mudaliar and others v. Kulandaive/u Mudd/iar and others(') which appears to be the only case in H which this Court had occasion to lay down the principles which (I} [1963,J 2 S. C. R. 440: ,. I '< • A B c D E F G H TAHS!L NAIDU V. KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, J.) 503 applied to adoption in Madras. The Court, in dealing with tha~ case, reviewed the various decisions given by the Madras High Court and the Privy Council and indicated the principles that must be applied when judging the effect of consent of sapindas on the validity of an adop!ion. In that case, a conditional consent had been given by some of the sapindas, whereas some others had refused to give consent to the adoption, and the controversy centered round the question· whether the consent given by some and refusal by others was proper. The Court indicated that such a question depended for its solution on the answer to five interrelated questions which were formulated as follows :- ( l) What is the source and the content of the power of the widow to adopt a boy ? (2) What is the object of adoption ? (3) Why is the condition of consent of the sapindas for an adoption required under the Hindu law for its validity? (4) What is the scope of the power of the sapindas to give consent ro an adoption by a widow and the manner of its exercise ? and (5) What are the relevant circumstances a sapinda has to bear in mind in exercising his power to give consent to an adoption ? Th~ Court took into consideration the decisions till then rendered which had bearing on these questions and, consequently, we do not consider it at all necessary to again discuss all those cases. On the first question, the Court held that a widow, either authorised by her husband to take a boy in adoption, or after obtaining the assent of the sapindas, has full discretion to make an adoption, or not to make it, and that discretion is absolute and uncontrolled. She is not bound to make an adoption and she cannot be compelled to do so. But, if she chooses to take a boy in adoption, she acts as a delegate or representative of her husband and her discretion in making the adoption is strictly conditioned by the terms of the authority conferred on '1er by her husband; but, in the absence of any specific authority, her power to take a boy in adopfion is coterminus with that of her husband, subject only to the assent of the sapindas. Dealing with the next question, the Court held that it may safely be held on the basis of the authorities that 'he validity of an adoption has to be judged by spiritual rather than temporal considerations and that devolution of property is only of secondary . importance. It is the answer to the third and the fourth questions with which we are primarily concerned. On the third question, the Court 504 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1970] 2 S.C.R. held that the reason for the rule of obtaining consent of the sapindas is not the possible deprivation of the proprietary interests of the reversioners but the state of perpetual tutelage of women, and the consent of kinsmen was considered to be an assurance that it was a bona fide performance of a religious duty and a sufficient guarantee against any capricious action by the widow in talcing a boy in 2doption. Dealing with the fourth question, the Court quoted with approval the observaHons of Rajamannar, C.J., in Venkatarayudu v. Sashamma(') to the following effect :- "As Mayne (Hindu law, tenth Edition) remarks at pages 221 and 222 it is very difficult to conceive of a case, where a refusal by a sapinda can be upheld as proper. 'The practical result· of !!he authorities therefore appears to be that a sapinda's refusal to an adoption can seldom be justified.' It may be that in a case where the sapinda refused his consent to the adoption of a boy on the ground that! the boy was disqualified, say, on the ground of leprosy or idiocy, the refusal would be proper. In this case, we have no hesitation in holding that the refusal by the plaintiffs on the ground that the proposed boy was not a sapinda or sagotra or a gnati was not proper." . Ultimately, the Court summarised its decision as follows :- "The power of a sapinda to give his consent to an adoption by a widow is a fiduciary power. lt is implicit in the said power that he must exercise it objectively and honestly and give his opinion on ·the advisability or otherwise of the proposed adoption iii and with reference to the widow's branch of the family. As the object of adoption by a widow is two-fold, namely, (1) to Secure the performance of the ,funeral rites of the person to whom the adoption is made as well as to offer pindas to that person and his ancestors anc;I (2) to preserve the continuance of his lineage, . he must address himself to ascertain whether the . proposed adoption promotes the said two objects. II! is true that temporal consideration, though secondary in importance, cannot ue eschewed completely but those considerations must necessarily be only those connected with that branch of the widow's family. The sapinda may consider whether the proposed adoption is in the interest of the well-being of the widow or conducive to the better management of her husband's estate. But considerations such as the protecl!ion of the sapindas' (I) A.I.R. [1949] Mad. 745. A B c D E F G H II TAHSIL NAIDU v. KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, J.) so 5 inheritance would be extraneous, for they pertain to the self-interest of the sapinda rather than the well-being of the widow and her branch of the family. The sapindas, as guardians and protectors of the widow, can object to the adoption, if the boy is legally disqualified to be adopted or if he is men:ally defective or otherwise unsuitable for adoption.· It is not possible. to lay down any inflexible rule or standard for the guidance of the sapinda. The Court which is called upon to consider the propriety or otherwise of a sapinda's refusal to consent to the adoption has to take into consideration all the aforesaid relevant facts and c such others and to come to its decision on the facts of each case." D F G H It is these principles which we arc called upon to apply in the present case to decide how far the requirements for a valid adoption have been satisfied when plaintiff No. 2 adopted plaintiff No. 1. When this aspect of the case was being discussed in Court, learned counsel appearing for the respondents put forward the argumen~ that, in the present case, the evidence shows that the motive of the widow, plaintiff No. 2, or, in any case, her dominant motive in making the adoption, was to ensure that a half share in the property of the family comes into the possession of herself and her adopted son, and that the adoption was not made with any spiritual considerations or for the performance of any religious duty. Learned counsel, thus, wanted to challenge the motive of plaintiff No. 2 in :.dopting plain~iff No. 1. On the other side, the argument was that, once the consent of the nearest sapindas is ob~ained by a widow before making an adoption, the question of motive of the widow making the adoption becomes irrelevant and should not be enquired into. The principles laid down in the case cited above show that the consent of a kinsman was considered to be an assurance ~hat the adoption was in pursuance of a bona fide performance of reli- · gious duty and would be a sufficient guarantee against any capricious action by the widow in taking the boy in adoption. This principle lair\ by this Court, thus, does indicate that the motive of a widow ,1eed not be enquired into, because the very fact of the consent being given by the sapindas is a guarantee that the adoption is being made for proper reasons. In !he present case, however, we find that, even on facts, the submission made on behalf of the respondents cannot be accepted, because there is evidence to show that the adoption was made by plaintiff No. 2 with the object of proper performance of ceremonies for the benefit of her deceased husband and other ancestors, though p!a;ntiff 506 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970] 2 s.c.r .. No. 2 also had in mind the advantage she would receive because her own adopted son would obtain rights to the property and she may be better looked after. The intention of the widow, in making the adoption, was clearly expressed by her in the notice Ext. A-2 sent on 6th December, 1954 by her counsel to defendant No. 2 Jayammal who was the guardian of defendant No. 1, Kulla Naidu, the latter being the person who was then holding the family property. It was stated in that notice "that my client is very anxious to adopt a son to her husband Kothandarama 1 faidu alias Kumarasami Naidu for securing a good son to her late husband performing his ceremonies offering oblations perpetuating the progeny (Line) and to save the soul of my client's husband from what is known as 'Puth Narakam' ". Similar expression of her intention is contained in another letter Ext. A-4 which was sent by the Advocate on her behalf to one of the Sapindas, Devarajulu Naidu, asking for his consent to the adoptions. It has also come in evidence that letters similar to the one sent to Devarajulu Naidu were also sent to the other two nearest Sapindas Rangappa Naidu and Umavadan in order to obtain their consent. In addition, even in Court, plaintiff No. 2 appeared as a witness and stated on oath that "the adoption was to my l}usband and for perpetuating and to do the ceremonies". It was argued on behalf of the respondents that, even though these expressions of the reason for adoption by the widow exist in the documents and in oral evidence, the further facts elicited show that her dominant motive was in fact to obtain possession of property and that the consideration of spiritual benefit to her husband did not exist. It is true that, in cross-examination, some facts have been elicited which indicate that considerations relating to material benefit also existed when plaintiff No 2 decided to make the adoption. She herself admitted that the subject of adoption was broached to her about a year before the adoption by one Ethirajulu Naidu who said that, if she adopted a boy, he would get the property and she could depenj on it. According to her, the same person advised her to take plaintiff No. 1 in adoption. Even the consenting sapinda Rangappa, who appeared as a witness, admitted in cross-examination that the second plaintiff had n0 one to feed her, and her relatives did not call her; and that was the reason why she made the adoption. These answers elicited in cross-examination do not, however, in our opinion, show that the question of spiritual benefit or performance of religious ceremonies was not one of the considerations in making the adoption. In fact, on the evidence, it appears that Rangappa Naidu, when he gave his consent, had been told why plaintiff No 2 was going to make the adoption in the written letter sent to him; and it seems that his consent was given in view of that consideration, though, in addition, as he has stated on oath, B c D E F G H A B c D E F G TAHSIL NAIDU v. KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, J.) 50 7 he also took into account tlle fact of material benefit to plaintiff No. 2. This takes us to. the crucial point whether, in this case, the consent of the sapindas that was obtained by plaintiff No. 2 before adopting plaintiff No. 1 was a proper consent which would validate the adoption. Of the three consenting sapindas, Rangappa Naidu was the only one who was examined in court and he clearly stated in his examination-in-chief that he gave his consent in writing vide letter Ext. 7-A. He added that printed invitations wer~ issued in his name and he and his cousin Devarajulu were present at tlle adoption. A deed of adoption was written and executed and he and Devarajulu both attested it. He also definitely stated that he made no profit at all out of this adoption, nor was he given any promise thac he would get any property by giving his 'consent to the adoption. To challenge this evidence, learned counsel for the respondents drew our attention to some of the statements made in cross-examination. Rangappa Naidu, when questioned, seems to have admicted that he signed the letter of consent at the place of adoption, even though his consent ietter Ext. A-7 purports to have been sent much earlier than the date of adoption. It seems to us that, being an old man of 80 years of age, he had some confusion in his mind about making the signatures on various documents. In his examination-in-chief, he has clearly stated that he had signed the deed of adoption at the time of adoption and it means thac, when cross-examined, he became confused and gave his answer under the impression that that deed of adoption was also the consent letter signed by him. In our opinion, the statement made in cross-examination that he signed the letter of consent at the place of adoption was really intended to refer to his signatures on the deed of adoption which signatures he must have made after expressing again his consent to the adoption. That his mind was confused appears from the further circumstance that he stated in cross-examination that the name of the boy to be adopted was not mentioned in the invication issued in his name, though, in fact, the name is actually mentioned. We are, therefore, unable to accept the submission made on behalf of the respondent' that the consent of Rangappa Naidu has nor been properly proved in this case. · Apart from the consent of Rangappa Naidu, the plaintiffs also relied on the fact that consenc was also given by the only other two equally remote sapindas Devarajulu and Umavadan. The High Court, in it~ judgment, appears to have held that the consent H of these persons was not proved satisfactorily by the plainHffs, though the trial Court had taken the contrary view. :t is true that, in this case, · Devarajulu and Umavadan were not examined. The consent letters signed were, however, put on the file. Deva· M3Sup. Cl/70-2 508 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970] 2 S.C.R. rajulu's signature on the consent letter was proved by Damodaran Naidu who obtained the letter of consent and who is the natural father of plaintiff No. !. Damodaran Naidu clearly proved that this letter was signed in his presence by Devarajulu. The High Court expressed the view that this consent letter cannot be taken to be proved on the ground that Devarajulu himself was not examined as a witness, and incorrectly ignored the fact that the document was proved by the evidence of Damodaran Naidu. Reference, in this connection, was also made to the statement of plaintiJf Ho. 2 herself that she had obtained the consent of Devarajulu about a month before she went to the Vakil for advice about adoption and that she did not take the consent from him in ~Titing. The fact that she did not herself obtain the written consent from Devarajulu does no~. however, detract from the value to be attached to the written consent which was obtained by her brother Damodaran and not by herself. No doubt, there are some petty discrepancies between the evidence of these witnesses, but we do not think that they are of such a nature as would justify our disbelieving them. In our opinion, the consent of Devarajulu to the adoption was also properly established. In the case of Umavadan, of course, there is a discrepancy that, according to plaintiff No. 2 herself, she obtained his consent when she met him 10 days after the adoption, though the consent letter by him purports to have been signeli earlier. This admission was made by plaintiff No. 2 in her cross-examination, and, in view of this admission, we do not think we will be justified in differing from the decision of the High Court that Umavadan's consent has not been properly established. In this case, there was also some argument as to his capacity to give consent. The case seems to have been put forward that he was deaf and dumb and, consequently, incapable of giving evidence, though plaintiff No. 2 herself in her cross-examination made a qualification that Umavadan could hear, though he was dumb. It also appears tllat he can write and make his signature. It is possible that he may have given his consent in writing when asked orally or in writing, because he could both hear and read; but, as we have said earlier, in view of the admission of plaintiff No. 2 that she obtained his consent 10 days after the adoption, we must disregard the consent given by him. Thus, tne adoption is supported by the consent given by two out of three equally near sapindas. The effect of this consent was challenged on two grounds. One was that the consent should have been obtained from all the three and not merely two. In our opinion, the consent of the majority would be sufficient to satisfy the requirement that a widow, in making the adoption should consult the nearest sapinB c D E F G H 8 c D E G R TAHS!L NAIDU V. KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, J.) 50 9 das. It is not essential that the consent should have been obtained from all the three, particularly when Umavadan was at least partially incapacitated as being dumb. The second ground, on which the value of the consent by these sapindas was challenged, was that no evidence has been produced to show that, when giving their consent, they had consciously applied their mind to the question whether the widow was making the adoption for the performance of a religious duty or for spiritual benefit to the husband of the adoptive mother and his ancestors. As we have indicated earlier, out of the two consenting sapindas, only Rangappa Naidu has been examined and, iu his evidence, he has not made any such specific statement. That, in our opinion, is not very material, because, as the principles laid down in various cases show, the very fact that consent is given by a sapinda implies that the adoption is considered desirable and is being resorted to by the widow for spiritual and religious considerations and not out of caprice. Every sapinda knows that, as soon as an adoption is made, spiritual benefit will accrue to the deceased husband and that the existence of the adopted son will perpetuate his line. Such consciousness is implied in giving the consent. It is only when the consent is being refused by a sapinda that it becomes relevant to see whether the refusal was justified on the ground that the adoption was not be.ing made with such objects. The mere omission of counsel in asking Rangappa Naidu whether he had considered the question of spiritual benP.fit at the time of giving consent cannot, therefore, imply that the consent was given for other consideratlons. A consent would, no doubt, be of no value for validating an adoption if the person giving the consent has his own personal motives. In the present case, Rangappa Naidu clearly stated that he was not to get any benefit at all oufi of the adoption of plaintiff No. 1 by plaintiff No. 2. There is also, however, the further fact that, according to the evidence, letters were sent to both Rangappa Naidu and Devarajulu Naidu in which the reason for adoption was expressed by the counsel for plaintiff No. 2. As we have noticed earlier, they gave their written consent in response to those letters, and it can be presumed that the consent was given in view of the object indicated in those letters asking for their consent. There is the further cir~umstance that, . according to the evidence, both Rangappa Naidu and Devara1ulu were present at the adoption and signed the adoption deed. They are both literate. The adoption deed clearly mentions the purpose of adoption which is the proper purpose for a widow in malting the adoptlon; and it would not be unjustified to infer that both these persons had consented to the adoption again at that time in view of the object men- 510 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970] 2 S.C.R. tioned in the deed of adoption. On facts also, therefore, it appe:rrs to be justified to hold that the consent was given by these two sapindas for proper reasons and the fact that they had given their consent would ensure the validity of the adoption. On the second question, one aspect that has considerable bearing is the reason which led the law-givers in the Hindu law to insist on the right of a widow to adopt a son being contingent either on conferment of authority on her by her husband, or, in the absence of such authority, on the assent of the nearest sapindas. This question was also considered to some extent by this Court in the case of V.T.S. Chandarasekhara Mudaliar(') where the Court began by noticing that the basis for the doctrine of consent may be discovered in the well-known text of Vasishta : "Let not a • woman give or accept a son except with the assent of her Lord." The Court then also quoted two texts of Yagnavalkya in Chapter 1, verse 85 and in Chapter 2, verse 130 which are ordinarily relied upon to sustain tLe said doctrine : "Let her father protect a maiden; her husband a married woman; sons in old age; if none of these, other gnatis (kinsmen). She is not fit for independence.,_, "He whom his father or mother gives in adoption is Dattaka (a son given)." After notking briefly the summary of the evolution of the law by subsequent commenrators, the Court proceeded to hold that the said doctrine is mainly founded on the state of perpetual tutelage assigned to women by Hindu law expressed so tersely and clearly in the well-known text of Y agnavalkya in Chapter 1, verse 85, quoted above. The Court then took notice of the decision in The Collector. of Madura v. Mootoo Ramalinga Sathupathy & Connected Cases( 2 ) (popularly known as, and hereinafter referred to as, the 'Ramnad Case') and referring to it. as the leading decision approved of the observatfons of Sir James William Colvile who made a real contribution to the development of this aspect of Hindu law which were to the following efiect : "But they (the opinions of Pandits) show a considerable concurrence of opinion, to the effect that, where the authori!y of her Husband is wanting, a Widow may {I) [1963,] 2 S. C. R. 440. (2) 12 M. I. A. 397. A B c D E F G H A B c D E F G H TAHSIL NAIDU v. KULLA NAIDU (Bhargava, /.) 511 adopt a Son with the assent of his kindred in the Dravida Country." The Court also indicated that the reason for this rule was clearly stated in that judgment as follows :- ' "The assent of kinsmen seems to be required by reason of the presumed incapacity of women for independence, rather than the necessity of procuring the consent of all those whose possible and reversionary interest in the estate would be defeated by the adoption." In Veera Basavaraju and Others v. Balasurya Prasada Rao & Another('), their Lordships of the Privy Council reiterated the observations made in the case of Raghanadha v. Brojo Kishoro(') to the following effect :- "But it is impossible not to see that there are grave social objections to making the succession of propertyand it may be in the case of collateral succession, as in the present instance, the rights of parties in actual possession--dependent on the caprice of a woman, subject to all the pernicious influences which interested advisers are too apt in India to exert over women possessed of, or capable of exercising dominion over, property." ';.hus, the entire case-law on the subject clearly indicates that the requirement for consent of a sapinda for adoption by a widow who has not obtained the consent of her 'iusband in his lifetime was laid down, because Hindu law considers a woman incapable of independent judgment and proceeds on the basis that a woman is likely to be easily misled by undesirable advisers. This aspect, in our opinion, has considerable bearing on the question whether a widow making an adoption must or need not obtain the consent of another senior woman in the family who is herself a widow. It seems to us that, if a woman is incapable of exercising independent judgment in the matter of deciding whether she should adopt a son to her deceased husband, she can hardly be a competent adviser to another widow on the same matter. In the present case, for example, if the grand-mother Ammakutti were to decide to adopt a son, she would have to obtain consent of Sapindas in the absence of authority from her deceased husband and that requirement would arise because of her incapacity to exercise independent judgment. If she cannot exercise an independent judgment in the matter of making an adoption herself, it would follow that she would not be able to exercise an independent (I) (1918) L.R. 45 I.A. 265. (2) [1876] L.R. 3 I.A. 154. 512 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1970] 2 S.C.R. judgn:ent to advise plaintiff No. 2, her grand-son's widow. The advice of a person incapable of independent judgment would hardly ensLre that the adoption to be made by a widow is proper an