New Delhi, April 19 -- Fixed deposits (FDs) have long served as a cornerstone of Indian household savings. Frequently, these accounts are established by grandparents years in advance and may be overlooked by the family following their passing.

Complications often arise when family members discover these assets later, only to find there is no formal Will, or that the specific fixed deposits were inadvertently excluded from the document.

In these scenarios, grandchildren might be uncertain of their legal standing or mistakenly believe that only the most immediate surviving heirs are entitled to the funds.

Navigating this requires an examination of relevant personal statutes, such as the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, or the Indian Successio...