Under Section 8 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 the correct order of priority of succession is…

Section 8’s order for a male Hindu intestate is Class I heirs, then Class II heirs, then agnates, and lastly cognates. Agnatic relationship is wholly through males; cognatic relationship is not wholly through males. The rule concerns the deceased’s applicable intestate estate, not automatic redistribution of every relative’s property.

Current law: Uttarakhand Code now provides its own intestate-succession regime for people and property within its statutory operation, including section 49 and Schedule 2. Its scope, exemptions and applicable transition rules must be checked before using HSA’s agnate-before-cognate hierarchy in a current Uttarakhand estate.