In what cases Administrator-General may grant certificate
Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, 1963 deals with in what cases Administrator-General may grant certificate. Whenever any person has died leaving assets within any State and the Administrator-General of such State is satisfied that such assets, excluding any sum of money deposited in a Government Savings Bank or in any provident fund to which the provisions of the Provident Funds Act, 1925 (19 of 1925), ap The Act came into force on 01 Mar 1964.
(1) Whenever any person has died leaving assets within any State and the Administrator-General of such State is satisfied that such assets, excluding any sum of money deposited in a Government Savings Bank or in any provident fund to which the provisions of the Provident Funds Act, 1925 (19 of 1925), apply, did not at the date of death exceed in the whole 1[ten lakhs] rupees in value, he may grant to any person, claiming otherwise than as a creditor to be interested in such assets or in the due administration thereof, a certificate under his hand entitling the claimant to receive the assets therein mentioned left by the deceased within the State, to a value not exceeding in the whole 1[ten lakhs] rupees.
(2) No certificate under this section shall be granted before the lapse of one month from the death unless before the lapse of the said one month the Administrator-General is requested so to do by writing under the hand of the executor or the widow or other person entitled to administer the estate of the deceased and he thinks fit to grant it.
(3) No certificate shall be granted under this section,--
(i) where probate of the deceased's will or letters of administration of his estate has or have been granted; or
(ii) in respect of any sum of money deposited in a Government Savings Bank or in any provident fund to which the provisions of the Provident Funds Act, 1925 (19 of 1925), apply.
STATE AMENDMENTS
Uttar Pradesh
Amendment of section 29 of Act no. 45 of 1963.--In section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, 1963, in sub-section (1) for the words "two lakhs rupees" wherever occurring the words "ten lakhs rupees" shall be substituted.
[Vide the Uttar Pradesh Act 18 of 2011, s. 2]
Section 29, The Administrators-General Act, 1963 (Act 45 of 1963).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 6
- s. 30 Grant of certificate to creditors and power to take charge of certain estates
- s. 31 Administrator-General not bound to grant certificate unless satisfied of claimant’s title, etc
- s. 32 Effect of certificate
- s. 33 Revocation of certificate
- s. 36 Administrator-General not bound to take out administration on account of assets for which he has granted certificate
- s. 37 Transfer of certain assets to executor or administrator in country of domicile for distribution
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Vunukonda Mallesham v. State of Telangana & Ors.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Allowed writ setting aside AG s.29 Letters of Administration/Succession Certificate and consequential gift registration where applicant later disclosed property value above AG’s Rs.9 lakh pecuniary limit and serious succession/partition disputes existed requiring civil-court adjudication.
On this section: Applied s.29: AG may grant certificate only within pecuniary jurisdiction; exceeding value / contested succession disentitles AG certificate.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… my considered view, Section 218 of the Act, 1925 has no application, since the petitioner is the joint owner, who is entitled, as of right, to operate the same, even according to the Bank, independent of the other joint hirer of the locker. There is also no requirement to secure any letters of administration under Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, 1963. There is also no case for the respondent Bank that there is any litigation instituted by anyone in the matter of assets left by the deceased Sasidharan Pillai. Upshot of the above discussion is that the petitioner is entitled to succeed. The writ petition is allowed and …
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… claiming that he obtained a legal heir certificate by filing claim petition vide C.A.No.43 of 2016 before the Administrator- General-State Succession Court at High Court, Hyderabad. A perusal of the impugned order passed in C.A.No.43 of 2016 dated 28.06.2017 reveals that it is contrary to the provisions of Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, 1963 as amended by the Administrators General Amendment Act, 2012. Further, neither the petitioner nor the $4<sup>th</sup>$ respondent society is a party to those proceedings. However, under the guise of the said order, the 5<sup>th</sup> respondent is interfering and trying to …
Questions about Section 29
What have the courts held on Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act?
Vunukonda Mallesham v. State of Telangana & Ors. (12 Feb 2025) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Applied s.29: AG may grant certificate only within pecuniary jurisdiction; exceeding value / contested succession disentitles AG certificate.
How do I find court cases under Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Administrators-General Act 29, section 29 Administrators-General Act, section 29 of the Administrators-General Act. People searching for it also type section 29 of administrator general act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Vunukonda Mallesham v. State of Telangana & Ors. (12 Feb 2025).
What should I read with Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, and has it changed?
6 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act come into force?
Section 29 of the Administrators-General Act, cited as Administrators-General Act 29, came into force on 01 Mar 1964, having been enacted on 11 Dec 1963. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 62. Power of State Government to make rules283 words
- 23. Distribution of assets248 words
- 11. Grant of probate or letters of administration to person appearing in the course of proceedings taken by Administrator-General230 words
- 9. Right of Administrator-General to apply for administration of estates225 words
- 10. Power of Administrator-General to collect and hold assets where immediate action is required210 words
- 37. Transfer of certain assets to executor or administrator in country of domicile for distribution201 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.