Let’s say you are a woman living in India who recently got married or is about to get married, or it could be that you are facing some issues in your marriage, right? In that case, it is very important for you to understand your rights, not just as a woman, but as a wife. Well, if you are here to know what are the legal rights of a wife in India, then just keep on reading because that’s what we are onto today. Here we go.
Legal Rights of a Wife in India
Let’s talk about the legal rights and laws that are put in place to make sure that wives and women in India live a safe life.
- Right to Matrimonial Home: A wife may stay in the home where both lived along with her husband, even after divorce, whichever has its ownership.
- Right to Property: Under the Hindu Succession Act, 2005, the wife acquires property in the same manner and volume as the husband does. It contributes to security in regard to property holdings.
- Right to Report Domestic Violence: There is the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 that protects wives from any kind of injury, physical, emotional, or money-related, and helps them get assistance from the law. A woman facing violence at home can register a complaint on the helpline number 1091 and get immediate assistance.
- Right to Abortion: Then there is the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, which gives a woman the freedom to choose to abort a child without asking her husband, within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.
- Right to Divorce: A woman can ask for a divorce herself if her husband is unfaithful, cruel, or leaves her, according to the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955.
- Right to Seek Maintenance and Alimony: a wife can get financial support from a husband after separation, but, of course, it depends solely on the earnings of the husband and what the wife requires. The woman has every right to claim financial help from her husband on her own and her children’s behalf for all who are still minors, and she secures their maintenance from them to live a life with the same dignity and respect as before.
- Dowry Prohibition and Harassment: The law has entitled the wife to protection from dowry-related harassment and demands of dowry as per the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
Additional Legal Protections
- Right to Streedhan: A woman’s property is totally meant for her. It means all those things like property, gifts, etc., that she got at the time of her marriage.
- Right to Parental Home and Property: Recent changes in law (Amendments to the Hindu Succession Act) give daughters a right in the family’s property at par with the son, be it married or unmarried.
- Right of Living with Dignity and Respect: A wife has a right to live her life according to the living standards of her husband, ensuring she is treated with respect and dignity.
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