Hindu Law MCQ question and answer | Law MCQ question

The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 classifies the heirs of a Hindu male into four categories.

These are Class I heirs, Class II heirs, Agnates, and Cognates.

Class I heirs include close relatives such as son, daughter, widow, and mother who get priority in succession.

If there is no Class I heir, the property goes to Class II heirs, who are listed in the Schedule of the Act.

In the absence of both Class I and Class II heirs, succession passes to Agnates (relatives wholly through male lineage), and if none exist, then to Cognates (relatives connected through one or more female links).

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 was a landmark reform in Hindu personal law.

Before the amendment, only male members of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) could be coparceners and thus eligible to become the karta (head) of the family.

After the 2005 amendment, daughters were granted the same rights and liabilities as sons in the coparcenary property.

This means that daughters became coparceners by birth, and therefore, they are now eligible to become the karta of a Hindu joint family if they are the senior-most coparcener.

Therefore, the correct statement is: Women can now become karta of joint Hindu family.