Residuary limitation under Article 137 bars delayed Letters of Administration claims when the applicant cannot explain the delay.

An application for Letters of Administration is governed by the residuary three-year limitation period under Article 137 of the Limitation Act, 1963, because no specific period is prescribed. The applicant must therefore explain the delay from accrual of the right to apply. On the facts, the pleadings showed awareness of the will from its execution and knowledge of the testator's death, but no satisfactory explanation was given for the long delay or for when knowledge of the will was acquired. The application was accordingly barred by limitation and the claim for Letters of Administration was rejected.

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Issues: Whether the application for grant of Letters of Administration was barred by limitation under Article 137 of the Limitation Act, 1963.

Analysis: The Court held that an application for Letters of Administration is governed by the residuary limitation period under Article 137 of the Limitation Act, 1963. It accepted the principle that where no specific period is prescribed, the right to apply must be exercised within three years from accrual. On the facts, the applicant offered no satisfactory explanation for the long delay and did not plead when knowledge of the will was acquired. The pleadings indicated knowledge of the will from its execution and awareness of the testator's death, and the delay was therefore unexplained beyond the permissible period.

Conclusion: The application was barred by limitation and the claim for Letters of Administration was rejected on that ground.

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