(1) Until probate is granted of the will of a deceased person, or an administrator of his estate is constituted, the District Judge, within whose jurisdiction any part of the property of the deceased person is situate, is authorised and required to interfere for the protection of such property at the instance of any person claiming to be interested therein, and in all other cases where the Judge considers that the property incurs any risk of loss or damage; and for that purpose, if he thinks fit, to appoint an officer to take and keep possession of the property,
(2) This section shall not apply when the deceased' is a Hindu, Muhammadan, Buddhist, Sikh or Jaina or an exempted person, nor shall it apply to any part of the property of an Indian Christian who has died intestate.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 269
Section 269 regulates when and how the District Judge may interfere for the protection of property of a deceased person within his district.
Where an expatriate or lonely elderly person dies leaving expensive real estate or bank lockers unattended, counsel for distant relatives should move an urgent application under Section 269 for the District Judge to seal the house and inventory contents through a court bailiff.