Who is a Karta?

The head of a HUF is called the Karta. Generally, the senior-most male member of the HUF is a Karta. In the absence of a senior male member of the family, the eldest female coparcener can be the karta of the HUF. Only a coparcener can become the Karta. A spouse/wife of a coparcener (or a karta) is only a ‘member’ with limited rights and no ownership of the underlying property at birth and does not qualify to become a coparcener.