A form of joint ownership in Hindu law where members of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) have a birthright to ancestral property. A coparcener is a person who shares equally in the inheritance of an undivided estate.

From Anglo-French coparcenerie, from co- (together) + parcener (co-heir), from Old French parcon (portion, share)

Joint inheritance Birthright ownership Ancestral co-ownership
Separate property Self-acquired property Individual ownership
"The Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005 gave daughters equal coparcenary rights in ancestral property, a reform that the Gujarat UCC Bill 2026 seeks to universalise across all communities by replacing personal laws with a single inheritance framework."

Essential in GS2 answers on personal laws, gender equality, and the Uniform Civil Code debate. The concept is central to understanding the Hindu Succession Act 1956 (and 2005 amendment), HUF tax provisions, and the arguments for a UCC that abolishes community-specific inheritance rules.

← All Words