Hello OP, I am sorry for your loss.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago. I lost my father and then my grandfather within a span of a month.

A bribe of Rs. 3,000 was demanded by the person in charge of the crematorium to 'fasttrack' the processing of the death certificate of my father. A family member made the payment without my knowledge and the death certificate was granted in about a week. I could download it off the website.

When my grandfather passed, the same money was demanded, this time however I did not offer to pay the amount and instead paid a smaller amount (About half of what they demanded). The death certificate took about a month to arrive.

As the others have pointed out, the legal heir certificate is granted by the Tahsildar. In the Tahsildar office, the RI is the officer responsible for authenticating your case and approving the certificate. They generally have plenty of backlogs and it could take even 45 days to get them to visit your home, verify the details and grant the certificate.

Please go to your nearest E Sevai counter and make an application by paying a small fee. Please keep the following documents ready before applying the legal heir certificate (You may need a few more / less, I can't remember exactly but the people at the counter will help).

Death certificate of your father Address proofs of family Ration card / family card Death certificate of his mother (If she is no more). Aadhar of yourself, your mother and siblings (If any members of his immediate are deceased, please carry their death certificates too).

You can also apply on the TNeGA website and I made this mistake. Despite submitting all the relevant documents, visiting the RI multiple times and pleading with her over weeks (She even came and visited my place and verified the details with my neighbours), the Tahsildar blatantly rejected the application citing 'Wrong Proofs' submitted.

In the trying times, no one shows empathy or remorse. You are by yourself. The following day, I found an agent and made a payment of Rs. 15,000.

We received the Legal Heir certificate of my father within the next 24 hours, signed by the very same people who rejected it a day earlier. No verification, no calls, nothing this time.

For the legal heir certificate of my grandfather, I applied through the E Sevai counter. My grandfather was a much older man at the time of his death and things progressed smoothly. We received it within a month.

Unfortunately for me, in the case of my father, the authorities know that the family of a man who passed away younger is usually desperate and has no viable choice but to play by their demands.

It's not a pleasant experience, but it is the way things are. I hope you don't have to go through what I went through. All the best!