Know Your Rights: Sons and Daughters have equal inheritance rights

Gender discrimination is a serious issue in India. Even though our Constitution has granted equal rights to all citizens, men, and women, ther are vested interests that do not want women to avail their rights.

This is especially significant in the case of sons and daughters. It is widely believed that daughters have minimal or no rights with reference to the inheritance of property.  But this is not true as there are laws to safeguard the interests of daughters. 

The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, came into force on September 9, 2005. 

- According to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, any property possessed by a Hindu female is to be held by her and she is given full power to deal with it and dispose it off by will as she likes.

- This applies to people of Hindu, Jain, Sikh or Buddhist faith.

- The married daughters have equal rights in the parental property after the amendment in Hindu Succession Act 1956.

- Every daughter whether married or unmarried is considered a member of her father’s Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and can even be appointed as ‘karta’ (who manages) of his HUF property.

The amendment grants daughters the same rights, duties, liabilities, and disabilities that were earlier limited to sons.

However, a daughter can avail of the benefits granted by the amendment only if her father passed away after September 9, 2005.

Also, the daughter is eligible to be a co-sharer only if the father and the daughter were alive on September 9, 2005.