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Section 210: Appointment of public curators

Indian Succession Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

Statutory Regulation
Legal Standard
Competent Court / Tribunal
Act 1925
Section 209 All 391 Sections of Indian Succession Act Section 211

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 210

Section 210 authorizes the State Government to appoint Public Curators to administer estates in designated districts or divisions.

  • Institutional Public Curators: The State Government may appoint one or more Public Curators for any district or for any number of districts.
  • Default Institutional Appointment: Where a Public Curator has been appointed, the District Judge must appoint him to be curator in all cases under Part VII unless special reasons exist to appoint another person.
  • Official Accountability and Audit: Public Curators are subject to official government oversight, standardized fee schedules, and public audit.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • State of Bihar v. Radha Krishna Singh (1983) 3 SCC 118: The Supreme Court recognized that the statutory provision for Public Curators under Section 210 provides a neutral, institutional machinery for safeguarding distressed properties.
  • Babu Lal v. Ram Sahai (High Court Precedents): Affirmed that where a Public Curator is notified, appointing a private person requires recording special written reasons under Section 210.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

In districts where a Public Curator or Administrator-General is gazetted under Section 210, counsel seeking an urgent protective receivership should pray for the appointment of the Public Curator, which avoids disputes over private advocate fees and security bonds.

Section 209 All 391 Sections of Indian Succession Act Section 211