Hindu women today moved a step towards enjoying the same rights as men in inheriting their ancestral property, with the Rajya Sabha passing a bill that seeks to amend the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. Striking an emotive chord, Law Minister Hans Raj Bharadwaj told the members that ‘‘now onwards, when you see off your daughters at the time of their marriage, tell them they have two homes — one to which they are going, and the other which they are leaving from’’. The Minister said that the UPA government was determined to remove all laws in this Act which were biased against women. Bharadwaj said his job was easy as he had to just add that ‘‘daughters get the same rights as sons.’’ The bill — the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Bill, 2004 — was supported by all the parties though the House, especially the BJP bench, was near- deserted. Bharadwaj admitted that he had been warned of the adverse impact of this law on social harmony in the country. However, the women members laid Bharadwaj’s fears to rest. Prabha Thakur of the Congress, Maya Singh of the BJP, Kumkum Rai of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, C Pandey of the CPI(M), and N P Durga of the TDP, said the bill would raise the status of Hindu women and end the disgraceful practice of dowry, female infanticide and suppression of women in general. Interestingly, the bill comes several years after states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra conferred these rights upon women. Bharadwaj said the 174th report of the National Law Commission had suggested these changes. The report had said that the discrimination against women by not giving them equal rights to ancestral property amounted to violation of the Article 14 and Article 15 of the Constitution.
