New Delhi, Sept. 28 -- Can banks ask families to repay credit card debt after a cardholder dies? The answer is not always straightforward.

Credit card debt does not disappear when a cardholder dies. However, family members do not automatically become responsible for paying it themselves. Repayment usually comes from assets left behind.

A spouse, child or parent does not personally inherit the deceased person's credit card debt. They are not required to repay it using their own income or savings.

In the landmark case Shri Harmel Singh vs Shri Ravi Kapoor (2023), the Delhi District Court ruled in the legal heirs' favour.

"In cases of personal loan without any security, the legal heirs of the deceased are not liable to pay the debts of t...