Property Rights of Women under Hindu Law: A Critical Study

The status of women all over the world generally has been inferior to Men and in this respect India is not an exception. After Independence, the movement to improve the Position of women gained momentum and several International Conventions Played a significant role for its amelioration. The Hindu Women’s Right to Property Act, 1937 Conferred rights of succession to the Hindu widow for the first time as Limited interest in the form of ‘Hindu Woman’s Estate’. Under the old Hindu Law only the ‘Stridhan’ was the widow’s absolute property and she had Exclusive and unlimited rights of ownership, possession and alienation in Respect of it. The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 was the first post-independence enactment for conferring property rights on Hindu women. Section 6 of the Act deals with the devolution of interest of a coparcener dying intestate. The Act converted woman’s Limited Estate into absolute ownership. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 has introduced important changes in Section 6 and by virtue of this amendment daughter of a coparcener has become a coparcener like son, with all consequential Effects and rule of survivorship has been abolished.