GENDER BIAS 

UNDER
HINDU PERSONAL
LAWS

BHAVLEEN KAUR
21178
INTRODUCTION

T h e t e r m ‘ p e r s o n a l l a w s ' i n c l u d e s t h e s c r i p t u ra l c o m m a n d s a n d
s ta n d a r d p ra c t i c e s o f t h a t p a r t i c u l a r r e l i g i o n .  

T h e w o m e n h a ve f e w e r r i g h t s t h a n t h e m e n u n d e r t h e r e l i g i ou s
p e r s o n a l l aw s . T h e r e l i g i o u s p e r s o n a l l a w s b r i n g f o r t h n u m e r o u s
t a b o os ; f o r e x a m p l e m a n c e n t r i c s o c i e t y, e a r l y m a r r i a g e ,
e n d o w m e n t , a g g r e s s i ve b e h av i o r a t h o m e a n d s o f o r t h .

T h e H i n d u Pe r s on a l L aw s a l o n g w i t h i t s a m e n d m e n t s a n d t h e
va r i o u s L a w C om m i s s i o n r e p o r t s d o e s p r o v i d e f o r s u c h a r i g h t t o
w om e n b u t s t i l l l a c k s a n y s o r t o f e ff e c t i ve d e ve l op m e n t .

T h e re i s a n e e d f o r a n e ff e c t i ve s o c i a l r e f o r m m o ve m e n t w i t h t h e
h e l p o f l aw a n d a s y m p a t h e t i c j u d i c i a r y t o a c h i e ve i t s o b j e c t i ve s .

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.

ADOPTION LAWS
according to Section 8 of The Hindu Adoptions and
Maintenance Act, 1956, women need to take consent of
their living husband to adopt a child is discriminatory and
d o e s n o t p a s s t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l s t a n d a r d o f m o r a l i t y.

Disallowing women to adopt without the consent of the

husband violates Article 14, Article 15, and Article 21 of
the Indian constitution.

M a l t i R a y C h o w d h u r y v. S u d h i n d r a n a t h M a j u m d a r

The Law Commission in various reports[17] [18] has

already recommended that the sub-clause (a) of the Hindu
Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 should be amended
and equal rights should be given.
MAINTAINANCE LAWS
Article 25 of the Act guaranteed that women were free, even af ter
d i v o r c e , t o r e c e i v e w e l f a r e a n d m a i n t e n a n c e , t o l i v e a d i g n i fi e d l i f e .
The judiciary has already acknowledged this and sorted out it.  

B h u w a n M o h a n S i n g h v. M e e n a t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t h e l d t h a t
maintenance of a wife does not mean mere animal existence, rather
i t s i g n i fi e s a s i m i l a r l i f e a s s h e h a d , w h e n s h e l i v e d w i t h h e r
h u s b a n d ".

H o w e v e r, e ff e c t i v e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n i s l a c k i n g .   T h e r e i s n o w a y t o
ensure that the husband will regularly make payments. As neither
t h e p o l i c e n o r s u c h   a u t h o r i t y w i l l c o m e t o t h e d e s e r t e d w i f e ’s h e l p .

She will in such cases have to go to the court again, which is  never
an easy way out for a woman. In India, majority of women hardly
g e t t h e m a i n t e n a n c e t o l i v e a b e t t e r l i f e f u r t h e r.
SUCCESSION LAWS
Even though the 2005 amendment seems to have addressed the
issues of inequality and dignity of women. But when put under
s c r u t i n y, c r u m b s o f g e n d e r d i s p a r i t y b e c o m e a p p a r e n t .

F i r s t l y, t h e H i n d u S u c c e s s i o n A c t i t s e l f i s b a s e d o n t h e d w i n d l i n g
concept of Mitakshara, Dayaabaga inheritance systems followed
in ancient India and which in turn are based on the stereotypes.

S t a r k d i ff e r e n c e b e t w e e n S . 8 A N D S . 1 5 : t h e s e l f - a c q u i r e d
property of a woman, in the absence of her own class I heirs, is
devolved upon the heirs of her husband and not her own. While
in case of a man in the same situation, his property is devolved
upon his own heirs and not his wife's.

O m p r a k a s h & O r s v. R a d h a c h a r a n & O r s
CONCLUSION
T h u s , f o r t h e c o n c l u s i o n o f t h i s s t u d y, I h o p e t h a t s u i t a b l e
changes shall be introduced in due course in the Hindu personal
Laws and it shall be brought in more realistic terms of the
p r e s e n t s o c i e t y a n d t h e g e n d e r b i a s w h i c h e x i s t s f o r a l m o s t fi v e
decades shall be done away with and an egalitarian society be
established.

E ff e c t i v e i m p l i m e n t a t i o n o f t h e p r e s e n t l a w s i s r e q u i r e d .

R e l i g i o u s p e r s o n a l l a w s s u p p r e s s t h e w o m e n . U n d o u b t e d l y, t h e
males are in supremacy than the females. So there should be
common uniform laws for all religions, so that position of
women can be improved.

  E d u c a t i o n i s a p a t h w h i c h c a n l e a d t o w o m e n t o e q u a l i t y,
because whenever any taboo take the society into its lap then
always education play a very important role to pull it from the
bottom.