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HindupersonallawWikipedia

Hindupersonallaw
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HindupersonallawsrefertothelawsoftheHindusasitappliedduringthecolonialperiod(BritishRaj)of
IndiabeginningfromtheAngloHinduLawtothepostindependentModernHinduLaw.TheBritishfound
neitherauniformcanonadministeringlawforthediversecommunitiesofIndianoraPopeora
Shankaracharyawhoselaworwritappliedthroughoutthecountry.[1]Duetodiscrepanciesinopinionsof
panditsonthesamematter,theEastIndiaCompanybegantrainingpanditsforitsownlegalserviceleading
tothesettingupofaSanskritCollegeinBanarasandCalcutta,tohelpthemarriveatadefinitiveideaofthe
Indianlegalsystem.[1]ItisfromherethattheHinduPersonalLawhaditsbeginningsandmore
appropriatelysoin1772,whenWarrenHastingsappointedtenBrahminpanditsfromBengaltocompilea
digestoftheHinduscripturallawinfourmaincivilmattersmarriage,divorce,inheritanceand
succession.[1][2]TheHinduPersonalLawsunderwentmajorreformsoveraperiodoftime,andcreated
socialandpoliticalcontroversiesthroughoutIndia.

Effects
TheHinduPersonalLawsbeginningwiththecreationoftheAngloHinduLawleadtowidespreadchanges,
controversiesandcivilsuitsinHindusocietyacrossallstrataandinmonasticorders.Between1860and
1940,theissueofsuccessionintheAngloHinduLawledtolegalissuesofownershipanddistributionof
propertyinasceticruninstitutions.Theearlytwentiethcenturywitnessedasceticordersseekingto'purify'
theirgenealogiesthroughthemediumofpropertydisputesfoughtincolonialcourts,whichalsoledtothe
removalofwomenandchildrenfromcertainasceticorderswithvaryingdegreesofsuccess.[3]

Seealso
ChristianPersonalLaw
MuslimPersonalLaw

References
1. Kishwar,Madhu(Aug.13,1994).CodifiedHinduLaw:MythandReality.EconomicandPoliticalWeekly,
Volume29,Number33,pp.21452161.
2. Pandey,Aditya(2005).SouthAsia:Polity,LiteracyandConflictResolution.PoliticsofSouthAsia,Volume1,
GyanPublishingHouse,ISBN8182052114,pp.111112.
3. Kasturi,Malavika(Sep.,2009).'Asceticising'MonasticFamilies:AsceticGenealogies,PropertyFeudsand
AngloHinduLawinLateColonialIndia.ModernAsianStudies,Volume43,Number5,pp.10391083.

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