Before granting probate the court issues citations under Section 283 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 to every person who would be entitled to a share of the estate if the deceased had died without a will, that is the spouse, children and other legal heirs, and to anyone else claiming an interest in the estate. The executor who applied is not cited, because the applicant is the person asking for the grant. Where an heir cannot be found, the court orders service by publication in a newspaper so that unknown claimants have a chance to come forward.
This note explains who is entitled to notice, why heirs rather than only beneficiaries are cited, and what happens if a person who should have been cited is left out.
Who must be cited before probate is granted
Section 283 directs the court to issue citations calling upon all persons claiming to have any interest in the estate of the deceased to appear before the grant is made. The category is deliberately wide. In ordinary practice the persons cited are:
- The legal heirs, that is the persons who would inherit on intestacy under the law that governs the deceased, whether the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Indian Succession Act, 1925, or Muslim personal law.
- Legatees and beneficiaries named in the will, where their title or share could be affected by the grant.
- Any other person claiming an interest in the estate, which can include a creditor or a person asserting a right under an earlier will.
- Minors and persons of unsound mind, through their lawful guardian, since they cannot respond for themselves.
- Where there is no heir and the estate may go to the State, the Government or the Collector, as the court may direct.
The applicant's own co-executors, if a co-executor named in the will declines to join, are also brought in by notice or consent.
Why the heirs, and not just the beneficiaries, are cited
A will is made by a person who could otherwise have let the law of intestacy decide. The heirs under that law lose what they would have received, so the court treats them as the persons most directly affected by the will and gives them notice before it is proved. This is why a will that is entirely clear as a document can still be objected to the moment an heir says the testator lacked capacity or was unduly influenced.
The notice is also a safeguard for the estate. It lets an heir raise a later will, a forgery, or a defect in execution, all of which are grounds on which a grant can be refused or later revoked. A grant obtained quietly, with heirs kept in the dark, is exactly what the citation stage is designed to prevent.
Service of the citation and publication
Section 283 contemplates service of citations on the persons interested and, where the court so directs, publication. In Kolkata practice, heirs whose addresses are known are served personally, and the court may require an affidavit of service. Where an heir's address is unknown, or that person cannot be found despite reasonable effort, the court allows substituted service, usually by advertisement in a newspaper so that any claimant can appear.
The citation period, during which an objection may be entered, is part of why probate cannot be granted overnight. It is not a formality; it is the interval in which the estate's other claimants get their say.
Table: who is entitled to notice
| Category | Normally cited | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Legal heirs / next of kin | Yes | They would inherit on intestacy and are directly affected |
| Legatees under the will | Yes | Their share depends on the grant |
| The executor who applied | No | The applicant is the petitioner |
| A co-executor who does not join | Yes | Consent or notice is required from them |
| Creditors and claimants | On application | They have an interest in the estate |
| Minor or incapacitated heir | Through guardian | They cannot respond themselves |
| Government, where no heir | As directed | The estate may go to the State |
What happens if a person who should be cited is left out
If probate is obtained without citing a person who ought to have been cited, that omission is itself a ground for revocation under Section 263 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The Explanation to that section lists obtaining a grant without citing parties who ought to have been cited as a recognised just cause for annulment. In plain terms, a probate that skipped a genuine heir is vulnerable, and the person left out can move the court to revoke it.
The practical safeguard is honesty at the petition stage. List every heir, give correct addresses, and say in the petition what was done to trace the ones who cannot be found, so that the court's direction on substituted service is on the record.
Notice in Kolkata: the Original Side practice
Where the estate falls within the ordinary original civil jurisdiction of the Calcutta High Court and the petition is filed on the Original Side, the citation work follows the court's own rules and practice. The petition is lodged with the department dealing with testamentary matters, and once it has passed scrutiny the court directs the issue of citations to the persons interested. Because the High Court is a court of record, the service of notice is documented with care, and an affidavit of service is normally required before the matter is listed for the grant.
Outside Kolkata the same statutory scheme applies before the District Judge or the District Delegate, but the volume of matters and the local practice differ. In a district court the citation may be served through the court's process server, and the court may accept personal service on an heir who attends and consents on the date fixed. The underlying rule is the same: no grant until the persons interested have had their opportunity to be heard.
Persons who live outside the State, or outside India, are served according to the rules for service out of the jurisdiction, and the court may allow a longer return date to account for the distance. If you are an heir living abroad, do not ignore a citation because it reached you late; instruct a lawyer in Kolkata to enter an appearance or to record your consent in writing.
What a citation contains and how to respond
A citation identifies the deceased, the court and the petition, states that probate or letters of administration of the will is being sought, and calls upon the person served to appear and show cause why the grant should not be made. It carries a date by which a response must be filed. Reading it closely tells you which will is in question, who applied, and by what date you must act.
There are three broad responses. You may consent, by informing the court that you do not oppose the grant, which clears the way for the grant. You may stay silent, in which case the matter ordinarily proceeds and a grant is made. Or you may oppose, in which case you lodge a caveat under Section 284, and the proceeding becomes contentious. Silent acquiescence is a decision with consequences, because a grant once made is conclusive as to the genuineness of the will under Section 273, and setting it aside afterwards is harder than objecting now.
If you believe the will is not genuine, or that a later will exists, or that you should have been a beneficiary, the time to say so is at the citation stage. Taking legal advice as soon as the citation is served is the single most useful step an heir can take.
Caveats: the response to a citation
A person who receives a citation and wishes to oppose the grant lodges a caveat under Section 284 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The caveat is entered in the court, and once it is filed the proceeding ceases to be non-contentious and becomes a trial in which the propounder of the will must prove it. A caveat is the mechanism by which a cited heir, a legatee on the other side, or a claimant turns notice into a contest.
The nature of the grant also affects who is entitled to notice. Where the application is for letters of administration rather than probate, the person with the highest right to the estate is ordinarily entitled to notice, and the court considers whether that person consents. Where several persons have an equal right, the court may require the consent of the others before appointing the applicant. The principle behind all of it is the one stated in Section 283: no one should have a grant made behind their back, and every person with a real interest in the estate should have the chance to be heard before the seal is set.
Because a caveat changes the whole character and duration of the matter, it is worth knowing early whether any cited person intends to object. Read our notes on how long probate takes and on the time limit after death, or speak to a lawyer in Kolkata if a citation has been served on you.