{"id":385604,"date":"2026-05-30T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T05:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=385604"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:54:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:24:04","slug":"digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span class=\"Strong\">Disclaimer:<\/span> <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">This has been reported after the availability of the order of the Court and not on media reports so as to give an accurate report to our readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">3rd Additional Senior Civil Judge, Gandhinagar:<\/span> In a petition filed under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001555428\" target=\"_blank\">218<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001555429\" target=\"_blank\">219<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001555431\" target=\"_blank\">220<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001555495\" target=\"_blank\">278<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001555501\" target=\"_blank\">283<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002835343\" target=\"_blank\">Succession Act, 1925<\/a> (Act), seeking grant of letters of administration in respect of the deceased&#8217;s Apple iPhone and associated Apple ID\/iCloud account, the Single Judge Bench of Himanshu Choudhary, J., held that digital data forms part of the deceased&#8217;s estate and is capable of administration under succession law. The Court further held that the right to privacy, being an inherently personal right, does not survive the death of the individual and, applying the maxim actio personalis moritur cum persona, no claim in respect of the deceased&#8217;s right to privacy can be sustained so as to obstruct the lawful heirs from administering the digital estate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Also Read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/27\/data-privacy-surveillance-indias-digital-future-law-camera-conversations-episode-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Data Privacy, Surveillance &amp; India&#8217;s Digital Future | Full Episode Out Now<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Background<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The petitioners, being the widow and daughter of late Shaishav Dineshbhai Shah (the deceased), sought grant of letters of administration in respect of the deceased&#8217;s Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and associated Apple ID\/iCloud account containing photographs, videos, documents, voice notes and contact lists. The deceased died intestate on 24 April 2025, without any will and is survived by 2 Class-I legal heirs, his wife and daughter.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The petitioners approached Apple seeking access and recovery of the deceased&#8217;s digital estate, to which Apple communicated that access to the account could only be facilitated upon production of a court order appointing a legal personal representative\/administrator of the deceased&#8217;s estate, supported by a court order containing specific declarations. Public notice under Section 283 of the Act, in the newspaper was published and no objections were received. Thus, the petitioners filed present application seeking grant of Letters of Administration (intestate) in their favour jointly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Also Read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/04\/18\/sikkim-high-court-mere-reporting-fir-contents-not-media-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\">Right to Privacy Does Not Bar Fair Reporting of FIR Based on Public Records Permissible; Not a &#8220;Media Trial&#8221;: Sikkim High Court<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Analysis<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Having regard to the pleadings, evidence on record and submissions advanced by the petitioners, the Court found the present petition fit to be allowed for the following reasons:<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">1. Jurisdiction:<\/span> The Court noted that it has the jurisdiction to entertain and decide the present petition under Section 270 of the Act, as the deceased place of abode falls within the territorial limits of this Court and also that the estate\/assets for which administration was sought, were also situated within the territorial jurisdiction and the entire cause of action had also arisen within its jurisdiction.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">2. Intestate death and legal heirship:<\/span> The Court noted that the death certificate and legal heirship documents established beyond doubt that the deceased died intestate on 24 April 2025 without executing any will, and was survived only by his wife and daughter, who were his sole Class-I legal heirs under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002810434\" target=\"_blank\">Hindu Succession Act, 1956<\/a>. The Court further noted that despite publication of public notice under Section 283 of the Act in the newspaper &#8220;Sandesh&#8221;, no objections were received from any quarter.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">3. Digital data as property forming part of the estate:<\/span> The Court recognised that,<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1%; margin-left: 18pt;\">&#8220;The digital data stored in the Apple iCloud account of the deceased constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the estate of the deceased, capable of administration under the Act.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Court observed that the existing legal framework, including the broad definitions of &#8220;movable property&#8221; and &#8220;property&#8221; under various statutes, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726955\" target=\"_blank\">General Clauses Act, 1897<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804326\" target=\"_blank\">Nyaya Sanhita, 2023<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002801311\" target=\"_blank\">Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002<\/a>, as well as recognition of virtual digital assets under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002955939\" target=\"_blank\">Income-tax Act, 1961<\/a>, was sufficiently wide to include digital data within the scope of property. The Court supported its conclusion with the Supreme Court&#8217;s interpretation of <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">&#8220;property&#8221;<\/span> in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Jilubhai Nanbhai Khachar<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of Gujarat<\/span>,<a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/s0F3Uhk2\" target=\"_blank\">1995 Supp (1) SCC 596<\/a> and <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of W.B.<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Subodh Gopal Bose<\/span>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/J6e7U8mI\" target=\"_blank\">AIR 1954 SC 92<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">4. Right to privacy of deceased:<\/span> The Court opined that, <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">the right to privacy, being an inherently personal right, does not survive the death of the individual<\/span> and relied on <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">K.S. Puttaswamy<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Union of India<\/span>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/gZMYzvk8\" target=\"_blank\">(2015) 10 SCC 92<\/a>. Applying the maxim <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">actio personalis moritur cum persona<\/span> (a personal right of action dies with the person), the Court held that the right to privacy of the deceased could not be invoked to obstruct lawful heirs from administering the digital estate. The Court further observed that in the absence of a nominee under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001593454\" target=\"_blank\">14<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001593555\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023<\/a>, rights relating to access and management of the deceased&#8217;s digital data devolve upon the legal heirs for the limited purpose of administering the estate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">5. Appointment of administrator:<\/span> The Court noted that the widow of the deceased had filed a no-objection declaration consenting to the appointment of the deceased&#8217;s daughter as the sole administrator\/legal personal representative of the estate. In view of such consent, the Court found it appropriate to appoint the daughter as administrator of the deceased&#8217;s estate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court clarified that it had not examined the issue of title or ownership over the subject properties and that the order would not confer any title upon the petitioners.<\/p>\n<h3>Decision<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Allowing the petition, the Court granted Letters of Administration (intestate) in favour of the daughter in respect of the deceased&#8217;s iPhone device and associated Apple ID\/iCloud account. Apple Distribution International Ltd. and\/or its affiliates were directed to assist the administrator in recovery of the deceased&#8217;s data, to the extent technically feasible. The Court further directed the administrator to prepare a true inventory of the estate within 6 months and render a true account within 1 year in terms of Section 317 of the Act.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">[<span style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #632423;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Sadhna Shaishav Shah<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">NIL<\/span>, C.M.A. No. 17\/2026, decided on 5-5-2026<\/span>]<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Advocates who appeared in this case :<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">For the applicant:<\/span> J.J. Bhatt<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">&#8220;The right to privacy, being an inherently personal right, does not survive the death of the individual.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67011,"featured_media":385605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4721],"tags":[45279,55628,105627,105629,105628,105626,54605,64751,17091,105630,53896,32162,105625],"class_list":["post-385604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-district-court","tag-45279","tag-55628","tag-administrator-of-deceased-estate","tag-apple-id","tag-apple-iphone","tag-deceased-estate","tag-digital-data","tag-digital-personal-data-protection-act","tag-hindu-succession-act","tag-icloud-account","tag-indian-succession-act-1925","tag-letters-of-administration","tag-right-to-privacy-after-death"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Digital Data Part of Estate, Right to Privacy Does Not Survive Death: Gandhinagar Court | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased&#039;s estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased&#039;s estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCC Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"886\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"590\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\"},\"headline\":\"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":984,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"1956\",\"2023\",\"Administrator of deceased estate\",\"Apple ID\",\"Apple iPhone\",\"Deceased estate\",\"Digital Data\",\"Digital Personal Data Protection Act\",\"Hindu Succession Act\",\"iCloud account\",\"Indian Succession Act 1925\",\"Letters of Administration\",\"Right to privacy after death\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Case Briefs\",\"District Court\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/\",\"name\":\"Digital Data Part of Estate, Right to Privacy Does Not Survive Death: Gandhinagar Court | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\"},\"description\":\"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased's estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp\",\"width\":886,\"height\":590,\"caption\":\"Digital data a part of estate\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SCC Times\",\"description\":\"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.scconline.com\\\/blog\\\/post\\\/author\\\/editor_4\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Digital Data Part of Estate, Right to Privacy Does Not Survive Death: Gandhinagar Court | SCC Times","description":"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased's estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data","og_description":"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased's estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":886,"height":590,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe"},"headline":"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data","datePublished":"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/"},"wordCount":984,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp","keywords":["1956","2023","Administrator of deceased estate","Apple ID","Apple iPhone","Deceased estate","Digital Data","Digital Personal Data Protection Act","Hindu Succession Act","iCloud account","Indian Succession Act 1925","Letters of Administration","Right to privacy after death"],"articleSection":["Case Briefs","District Court"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/","name":"Digital Data Part of Estate, Right to Privacy Does Not Survive Death: Gandhinagar Court | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-30T05:30:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-30T06:24:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe"},"description":"Gandhinagar Court held that digital data stored in an Apple iCloud account constitutes a valuable digital asset forming part of the deceased's estate and that the right to privacy, being inherently personal, does not survive death so as to obstruct legal heirs from administering the digital estate.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp","width":886,"height":590,"caption":"Digital data a part of estate"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/05\/30\/digital-data-forms-part-of-the-deceased-estate\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Who Owns Your Digital Assets After a Person Dies? Gandhinagar Court Says Legal Heirs Do; Directs Apple to Hand Over the Data"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/","name":"SCC Times","description":"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_4\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Digital-data-a-part-of-estate.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385604"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385608,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385604\/revisions\/385608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}