Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956

[Act no. 78 of Year 1956, dated 21st. December, 1956]
An Act to amend and codify the law relating to adoptions and maintenance among
Hindus.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows: -
CHAPTER I: PRELIMINARY
1. Short title and extent
(1) This Act may be called the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956.
(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Application of Act
(1) This Act applies-
(a) to any person, who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms or developments,
including a Virashaiva, a Lingayat or a follower of the Brahmo, Prarthana or Arya
Samaj,
(b) to any person who is a Buddhist, Jaina or Sikh by religion, and
(c) to any other person who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion,
unless it is proved that any such person would not have been governed by the Hindu
law or by any custom or usage as part of the law in respect of any of the matters
dealt with herein if this Act had not been passed.
Explanation: The following persons are Hindus, Buddhists, Jainas or Sikhs by
religion, as the case may be:
(a) any child, legitimate or illegitimate, both of whose parents are Hindus, Buddhists,
Jainas or Sikhs by religion;
(b) any child, legitimate or illegitimate, one of whose parents is a Hindu, Buddhist,
Jaina or Sikh by religion and who is brought up as a member of the tribe,
community, group or family to which such parent belongs or belonged; 1[***]
2[(bb) any child, legitimate or illegitimate, who has been abandoned both by his
father and mother or whose parentage is not known and who in either case is
brought up as a Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina or Sikh; and]
(c) any person who is convert or reconvert to the Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina or Sikh
religion.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), nothing contained in this
Act shall apply to the members of any Scheduled Tribe within the meaning of clause
(25) of article 366 of the Constitution unless the Central Government, by notification
in the Official Gazette, otherwise directs.
(2A) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), nothing contained in this
Act shall apply to Renoncants of the Union Territory of Pondicherry.
(3) The expression "Hindu" in any portion of this Act shall be construed as if it
included a person who, though not a Hindu by religion, is, nevertheless, a person to
whom this Act applies by virtue of the provisions contained in this section.
3. Definitions
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) the expressions "custom" and "usage" signify any rule which, having been
continuously and uniformly observed for a long time, has obtained the force of law
among Hindus in any local area, tribe, community, group or family:
PROVIDED that the rule is certain and not unreasonable or opposed to public policy:
PROVIDED FURTHER that, in the case of a rule applicable only to a family, it has not
been discontinued by the family;
(b) "maintenance" includes-
(i) in all cases, provision for food, clothing, residence, education and medical
attendance and treatment;
(ii) in the case of an unmarried daughter, also the reasonable expenses of and
incidents to her marriage;
(c) "minor" means a person who has not completed his or her age of eighteen years.
4. Overriding effect of Act
Save as otherwise expressly provided in this Act,-
(a) any text, rule or interpretation of Hindu law or any custom or usage as part of
that law in force immediately before the commencement of this Act shall cease to
have effect with respect to any matter for which provision is made in this Act;
(b) any other law in force immediately before the commencement of this Act shall
cease to apply to Hindus insofar as it is inconsistent with any of the provisions
contained in this Act.
CHAPTER II: ADOPTION
5. Adoptions to be regulated by this Chapter
(1) No adoption shall be made after the commencement of this Act by or to a Hindu
except in accordance with the provisions contained in this Chapter, and any adoption
made in contravention of the said provisions shall be void.
(2) An adoption which is void shall neither create any rights in the adoptive family in
favour of any person which he or she could not have acquired except by reason of
the adoption, nor destroy the rights of any person in the family of his or her birth.
6. Requisites of a valid adoption
No adoption shall be valid unless-
(i) the person adopting has the capacity, and also the right, to take in adoption;
(ii) the person giving in adoption has the capacity to do so;
(iii) the person adopted is capable of being taken in adoption; and
(iv) the adoption is made in compliance with the other conditions mentioned in this
Chapter.
7. Capacity of a male Hindu to take in adoption
Any male Hindu who is of sound mind and is not a minor has the capacity to take a
son or a daughter in adoption:
PROVIDED that, if he has a wife living, he shall not adopt except with the consent of
his wife unless the wife has completely and finally renounced the world or has ceased
to be a Hindu or has been declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be of
unsound mind.
Explanation: If a person has more than one wife living at the time of adoption, the
consent of all the wives is necessary unless the consent of any one of them is
unnecessary for any of the reasons specified in the preceding proviso.
8. Capacity of a female Hindu to take in adoption
Any female Hindu-
(a) who is of sound mind,
(b) who is not a minor, and
(c) who is not married, or if married, whose marriage has been dissolved or whose
husband is dead or has completely and finally renounced the world or has ceased to
be a Hindu or has been declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be of
unsound mind,
has the capacity to take a son or daughter in adoption.
9. Persons capable of giving in adoption
(1) No person except the father or mother or the guardian of a child shall have the
capacity to give the child in adoption.
(2) Subject to the provisions of 3[sub-section(3) and sub-section(4)], the father, if
alive, shall alone have the right to give in adoption, but such right shall not be
exercised save with the consent of the mother unless the mother has completely and
finally renounced the world or has ceased to be a Hindu or has been declared by a
court of competent jurisdiction to be of unsound mind.
(3) The mother may give the child in adoption if the father is dead or has completely
and finally renounced the world or has ceased to be a Hindu or has been declared by
a court of competent jurisdiction to be of unsound mind.
3[(4) Where both the father and mother are dead or have completely and finally
renounced the world or have abandoned the child or have been declared by a court
of competent jurisdiction to be of unsound mind or where the parentage of the child
is not known, the guardian of the child may give the child in adoption with the
previous permission of the court to any person including the guardian himself.]
(5) Before granting permission to a guardian under sub-section (4), the court shall
be satisfied that the adoption will be for the welfare of the child, due consideration
being for this purpose given to the wishes of the child having regard to the age and
understanding of the child and that the applicant for permission has not received or
agreed to receive and that no person has made or given or agreed to make or give
to the applicant any payment or reward in consideration of the adoption except such
as the court may sanction.
Explanation: For the purposes of this section-
(i) the expression "father" and "mother" do not include an adoptive father and an
adoptive mother; 1[***]
2[(ia) "guardian" means a person having the care of the person of a child or of both
his person and property and includes-
(a) a guardian appointed by the will of the child's father or mother; and
(b) a guardian appointed or declared by a court; and]
(ii) "court" means the city civil court or a district court within the local limits of
whose jurisdiction the child to be adopted ordinarily resides.
10. Persons who may be adopted
No person shall be capable of being taken in adoption unless the following conditions
are fulfilled, namely,-
(i) he or she is Hindu;
(ii) he or she has not already been adopted;
(iii) he or she has not been married, unless there is a custom or usage applicable to
the parties which permits persons who are married being taken in adoption;
(iv) he or she has not completed the age of fifteen years, unless there is a custom or
usage applicable to the parties which permits persons who have completed the age
of fifteen years being taken in adoption.
11. Other conditions for a valid adoption
In every adoption, the following conditions must be complied with:
(i) if the adoption is of a son, the adoptive father or mother by whom the adoption is
made must not have a Hindu son, son's son or son's son's son (whether by
legitimate blood relationship or by adoption) living at the time of adoption;
(ii) if the adoption is of a daughter, the adoptive father or mother by whom the
adoption is made must not have a Hindu daughter or son's daughter (whether by
legitimate blood relationship or by adoption) living at the time of adoption;
(iii) if the adoption is by a male and the person to be adopted is a female, the
adoptive father is at least twenty-one years older than the person to be adopted;
(iv) if the adoption is by a female and the person to be adopted is a male, the
adoptive mother is at least twenty-one years older than the person to be adopted;
(v) the same child may not be adopted simultaneously by two or more persons;
(vi) the child to be adopted must be actually given and taken in adoption by the
parents or guardian concerned or under their authority with intent to transfer the
child from the family of its birth 2[or in the case of an abandoned child or child
whose parentage is not known, from the place or family where it has been brought
up] to the family of its adoption:
PROVIDED that the performance of datta homam shall not be essential to the validity
of adoption.
12. Effects of adoption
An adopted child shall be deemed to be the child of his or her adoptive father or
mother for all purposes with effect from the date of the adoption and from such date
all the ties of the child in the family of his or her birth shall be deemed to be severed
and replaced by those created by the adoption in the adoptive family:
PROVIDED that-
(a) the child cannot marry any person whom he or she could not have married if he
or she had continued in the family of his or her birth;
(b) any property which vested in the adopted child before the adoption shall continue
to vest in such person subject to the obligations, if any, attaching to the ownership
of such property including the obligation to maintain relatives in the family of his or
her birth;
(c) the adopted child shall not divest any person of any estate which vested in him or
her before the adoption.
13. Right of adoptive parents to dispose of their properties
Subject to any agreement to the contrary, an adoption does not deprive the adoptive
father or mother of the power to dispose of his or her property by transfer inter vivos
or by will.
14. Determination of adoptive mother in certain cases
(1) Where a Hindu who has a wife living adopts a child, she shall be deemed to be
the adoptive mother.
(2) Where an adoption has been made with the consent of more than one wife, the
senior-most in marriage among them shall be deemed to be the adoptive mother
and the others to be step-mothers.
(3) Where a widower or a bachelor adopts a child, any wife whom he subsequently
marries shall be deemed to be the step-mother of the adopted child.
(4) Where a widow or an unmarried woman adopts a child, any husband whom she
marries subsequently shall be deemed to be the step-father of the adopted child.
15. Valid adoption not to be cancelled
No adoption which has been validly made can be cancelled by the adoptive father or
mother or any other person, nor can the adopted child renounce his or her status as
such and return to the family of his or her birth.
16. Presumption as to registered documents relating to adoption
Whenever any document registered under any law for the time being in force is
produced before any court purporting to record an adoption made and is signed by
the person giving and the person taking the child in adoption, the court shall
presume that the adoption has been made in compliance with the provisions of this
Act unless and until it is disproved.
17. Prohibition of certain payments
(1) No person shall receive or agree to receive any payment or other reward in
consideration of the adoption of any person, and no person shall make or give or
agree to make or give to any other person any payment or reward the receipt of
which is prohibited by this section.
(2) If any person contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1), he shall be
punishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with
both.
(3) No prosecution under this section shall be instituted without the previous
sanction of the State Government or an officer authorised by the State Government
in this behalf.
CHAPTER III: MAINTENANCE
18. Maintenance of wife
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a Hindu wife, whether married before or
after the commencement of this Act, shall be entitled to be maintained by her
husband during her lifetime.
(2) A Hindu wife shall be entitled to live separately from her husband without
forfeiting her claim to maintenance-
(a) if he is guilty of desertion, that is to say, of abandoning her without reasonable
cause and without her consent or against her wish, or of wilfully neglecting her;
(b) if he has treated her with such cruelty as to cause a reasonable apprehension in
her mind that it will be harmful or injurious to live with her husband;
(c) if he is suffering from a virulent form of leprosy;
(d) if he has any other wife living;
(e) if he keeps a concubine in the same house in which his wife is living or habitually
resides with a concubine elsewhere;
(f) if he has ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion;
(g) if there is any other cause justifying her living separately.
(3) A Hindu wife shall not be entitled to separate residence and maintenance from
her husband if she is unchaste or ceases to be a Hindu by conversion to another
religion.
19. Maintenance of widowed daughter-in-law
(1) A Hindu wife, whether married before or after the commencement of this Act,
shall be entitled to be maintained after the death of her husband by her father-inlaw:
PROVIDED and to the extent that she is unable to maintain herself out of her own
earnings or other property or, where she has no property of her own, is unable to
obtain maintenance-
(a) from the estate of her husband or her father or mother, or
(b) from her son or daughter, if any, or his or her estate.
(2) Any obligation under sub-section (1) shall not be enforceable if the father-in law
has not the means to do so from any coparcenary property in his possession out of
which the daughter-in-law has not obtained any share, and any such obligation shall
cease on the re-marriage of the daughter-in-law.
20. Maintenance of children and aged parents
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section a Hindu is bound, during his or her
lifetime, to maintain his or her legitimate or illegitimate children and his or her aged
or infirm parents.
(2) A legitimate or illegitimate child may claim maintenance from his or her father or
mother so long as the child is a minor.
(3) The obligation of a person to maintain his or her aged or infirm parent or a
daughter who is unmarried extends insofar as the parent or the unmarried daughter,
as the case may be, is unable to maintain himself or herself out of his or her own
earnings or other property.
Explanation: In this section "parent" includes a childless step-mother.
21. Dependants defined
For the purposes of this Chapter "dependants" means the following relatives of the
deceased:
(i) his or her father;
(ii) his or her mother;
(iii) his widow, so long as she does not re-marry;
(iv) his or her son or the son of his predeceased son or the son of predeceased son
of his predeceased son, so long as he is a minor:
PROVIDED and to the extent that he is unable to obtain maintenance, in the case of
a grandson from his father's or mother's estate, and in the case of a great grandson,
from the estate of his father or mother or father's father or father's mother;
(v) his or her unmarried daughter, or the unmarried daughter of his predeceased son
or the unmarried daughter of a predeceased son of his predeceased son, so long as
she remains unmarried:
PROVIDED and to the extent that she is unable to obtain maintenance, in the case of
a grand-daughter from her father's or mother's estate and in the case of a great
grand-daughter from the estate of her father or mother or father's father or father's
mother;
(vi) his widowed daughter:
PROVIDED and to the extent that she is unable to obtain maintenance-
(a) from the estate of her husband, or
(b) from her son or daughter if any, or his or her estate; or
(c) from her father-in-law or his father or the estate of either of them;
`(vii) any widow of his son or of a son of his predeceased son, so long as she does
not remarry:
PROVIDED and to the extent that she is unable to obtain maintenance from her
husband's estate, or from her son or daughter, if any, or his or her estate; or in the
case of a grandson's widow, also from her father-in-law's estate
(viii) his or her minor illegitimate son, so long as he remains a minor;
(ix) his or her illegitimate daughter, so long as she remains unmarried.
22. Maintenance of dependants
(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) the heirs of a deceased Hindu are
bound to maintain the dependants of the deceased out of the estate inherited by
them from the deceased.
(2) Where a dependant has not obtained, by testamentary or intestate succession,
any share in the estate of a Hindu dying after the commencement of this Act, the
dependant shall be entitled, subject to the provisions of this Act, to maintenance
from those who take the estate.
(3) The liability of each of the persons who takes the estate shall be in proportion to
the value of the share or part of the estate taken by him or her.
(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), no
person who is himself or herself a dependant shall be liable to contribute to the
maintenance of others, if he or she has obtained a share or part the value of which
is, or would, if the liability to contribute were enforced, become less than what would
be awarded to him or her by way of maintenance under this Act.
23. Amount of maintenance
(1) It shall be in the discretion of the court to determine whether any, and if so
what, maintenance shall be awarded under the provisions of this Act, and in doing so
the court shall have due regard to the considerations set out in sub-section (2), or
sub-section (3), as the case may be, so far as they are applicable.
(2) In determining the amount of maintenance, if any, to be awarded to a wife,
children or aged or infirm parents under this Act, regard shall be had to-
(a) the position and status of the parties;
(b) the reasonable wants of the claimant;
(c) if the claimant is living separately, whether the claimant is justified in doing so;
(d) the value of the claimant's property and any income derived from such property,
or from the claimant's own earnings or from any other source;
(e) the number of persons entitled to maintenance under this Act.
(3) In determining the amount of maintenance, if any, to be awarded to a dependant
under this Act, regard shall be had to-
(a) the net value of the estate of the deceased after providing for the payment of his
debts;
(b) the provision, if any, made under a will of the deceased in respect of the
dependant;
(c) the degree of relationship between the two;
(d) the reasonable wants of the dependant;
(e) the past relations between the dependant and the deceased;
(f) the value of the property of the dependant and any income derived from such
property; or from his or her earnings or from any other source;
(g) the number of dependants entitled to maintenance under this Act.
24. Claimant to maintenance should be a Hindu
No person shall be entitled to claim maintenance under this Chapter if he or she has
ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion.
25. Amount of maintenance may be altered on change of circumstances
The amount of maintenance, whether fixed by a decree of court or by agreement,
either before or after the commencement of this Act, may be altered subsequently if
there is a material change in the circumstances justifying such alteration.
26. Debts to have priority
Subject to the provisions contained in section 27 debts of every description
contracted or payable by the deceased shall have priority over the claims of his
dependants for maintenance under this Act.
27. Maintenance when to be a charge
A dependant's claim for maintenance under this Act shall not be a charge on the
estate of the deceased or any portion thereof, unless one has been created by the
will of the deceased, by a decree of court, by agreement between the dependant and
the owner of the estate or portion, or otherwise.
28. Effect of transfer of property on right to maintenance
Where a dependant has a right to receive maintenance out of an estate, and such
estate or any part thereof is transferred, the right to receive maintenance may be
enforced against the transferee if the transferee has notice of the right or if the
transfer is gratuitous; but not against the transferee for consideration and
withoutnotice of the right.
CHAPTER IV: REPEAL AND SAVING
29. [Rep. by the Repealing and Amending Act, 1960]
30. Saving
Nothing contained in this Act shall affect any adoption made before the
commencement of this Act, and the validity and effect of any such adoption shall be
determined as if this Act had not been passed.