Kathmandu School of Law Review

P-ISSN : 2091-2110, E-ISSN : 2773-8159, DOI : 10.46985, Publisher : Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal
Annual flagship journal of Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal

Volume 6, Issue 1, April 2018
Articles

Analyzing Hindu Women’s Right to Property in Bangladesh: Absolute Interest versus Limited Interest

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  • Ferdousi Begum
Ferdousi Begum
Lecturer, Department of Law, Daffofil International University, Dhaka

Published 2018-04-30

Keywords

  • No Keywords.

How to Cite

Begum, F. . (2018). Analyzing Hindu Women’s Right to Property in Bangladesh: Absolute Interest versus Limited Interest. Kathmandu School of Law Review, 6(1), 103–116. Retrieved from https://kslreview.org/index.php/kslr/article/view/952

Abstract

Hindu women living in Bangladesh are deprived of inheritance in comparison to their male counterparts. They exercise a limited interest in the property while their male counterparts have an absolute interest in the property except in case of Stridhan. This feature gives a scenario of male dominating society in Bangladesh. If alienation is possible in case of Stridhan property, it ought to be applicable in case of getting properties through the way of inheritance as well; but it is not clear at all. There is no reason behind having such kind of discrimination. Therefore, this paper argues that as a Hindu woman can handle her property like a man in case of Stridhan property, she should, absolutely instead of enjoying it limitedly, enjoy all of her properties including the properties which she gets by way of inheritance as well.

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References

  1. Bangladesh - Population and Housing Census, 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
  2. John D Mayne, A Treatise on Hindu Law and Usage, 7th edition, Higginbotham & Co., Madras, 1906, p. 3; See Dr. Tahir Mahmood, Introduction to Hindu Law: Personal Law of Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, 3rd edition, Universal Law Publishing Co., Delhi, 2014, p. 3; B M Gandhi, Hindu Law, 4th edition,Eastern Book Company, Lucknow, 2008, p. 1; Noshirvan H Jhabvala, Principles of Hindu Law, 20th edition, C. Jamnadas & Co., Mumbai, 2009, p. 43; Dr. U.P.D. Kesari, Modern Hindu Law, 5th edition, Central Law Publications, Elahabad, 2015, p. 5; Zakir Hossain Khan, Hindu Law of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Law Book Company, Dhaka, 2010, p. 1; Sadiqul Islam Sagar & ABM Ehsan Ullah Khan, Outlines of Hindu Law, 1stedition, Shaurov Publishers & Distributors, Dhaka, 2015, p. 2.
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  7. Mayne (n 2).
  8. Ibid; See Perumal v Ponnuswami, AIR, 1971, SC, p. 2352 cited at B M Gandhi, Hindu Law, 4th edition, Eastern Book Company, Lucknow, 2008, p. 11.
  9. Ibid; See Morarji v Administrator-General of Chennai, 52 Mad, 1960: 11 IC, p. 364 cited at Zakir Hossain Khan, Hindu Law of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Law Book Company, Dhaka, 2010, p. 4.
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  14. Taikangauda v Shivappa, ILR, Bom., 1943, p. 706 cited at Zakir Hossain Khan, Hindu Law of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Law Book Company, Dhaka, 2010.
  15. Rani Bhagwan Koer v Bose, ILR, 31 Cal., 1903, p. 11: 30 IA, p. 249 cited at B M Gandhi, Hindu Law, 4thedition,Eastern Book Company, Lucknow, 2008.
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  17. Khan (n 2).
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  24. Patel (n 22).
  25. The present scenario shows inequality between a Hindu man and a Hindu woman while getting property from a deceased ancestor in Bangladesh. For example, in the presence of a son, a daughter will not get property from her father. Also a woman will not get absolute rights in her ancestor’s property whereas a man will get so. There are fifty three Sapindas who can get property by way of inheritance in Dayabhaga School of law prevailing in Bangladesh out of which five are female and the rest of them are male.
  26. Patel (n 22).
  27. Archana Mishra, ‘Rights in Separate Property for Hindu Female – Autonomy, Relationality and the Law’ Bepress, 2015 available at https://works.bepress.com/archana_mishra/2/ accessed on 10 December 2017.
  28. The Hindu Women’s Right to Property Act, 1937, Bangladesh, s 3 (1).
  29. The Hindu Law of Inheritance (Amendment) Act, 1929, Bangladesh, s 2.
  30. D. F. Mullah, Principles of Hindu Law, 15th edition, NMTPL, Mumbai, 1986 as in Mahua Zahur, ‘Hindu Women’s Property Rights: Bangladesh Perspective’, vol. X1, Brac University Journal p. 79, 2016.
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  34. Nurunnabi Mondol v Joynal Abedin Khondkar, 29 DLR, 1977, SC, p. 137.
  35. The Hindu Widow Remarriage Act, 1856, Bangladesh, s 15 (2).
  36. Ruma Halder, ‘Socio Economic Conditions of Disinherited Widows’, The Daily Star, Dhaka, 28 March 2005 cited at Uzma Shukrana, ‘Justification of reform of Hindu Inheritance Law: Bangladesh Perspective’, International Conference on Innovative Research and Development, Thailand, 2018 p.4 available at file:///C:/Users/Ferdousi%20Begum/Downloads/01_uzmashukrana_fullpaper.pdf accessed on 8 December 2017.
  37. Patel (n 22).
  38. Huda (n 21).
  39. Venkata v Venkata, 2 Mad, 1880, PC, p. 333.
  40. Rai Kishori Shaha v Matleb Ali Pramanik, 34 DLR, 1982, p. 181.
  41. Akhtar & Abdullah (n 32).
  42. Ibid; Also Dr. Chitta Ranjan Das had presented the paper titled ‘Discrimination of Hindu Women in Bangladesh within the Legal Framework’ in the fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva on 29-30 November, 2011 where he raised the same issue.
  43. Md. Al-Irfan Hossain Mollah, ‘Hindu Women’s Right to Property at the crossroads: the Tension between Human Rights and Cultural Relativism’, vol. VIII, Society and Change p. 84, 2014.
  44. Patel (n 22).
  45. Huda (n 21).
  46. BNWLA (n 3).
  47. Halder (n 36).
  48. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 1972, Bangladesh, preamble, para 3.
  49. Ibid, art 7(2).
  50. Ibid, art 27.
  51. Ibid, art 19(2).
  52. Ibid, art 19(3).
  53. Taslima Monsoor, ‘Rights of Bangladesh Women in International and Municipal law’, vol. VI, Dhaka University Studies p. 71, 1995.
  54. Huda (n 21).
  55. Constitution of Bangladesh (n 48), art 28.
  56. Mahua (n 6).
  57. Constitution of Bangladesh (n 48), art 28(2).
  58. Ibid, art 28(4).
  59. Ibid.
  60. Ibid, art 13.
  61. Mahmudul Islam, Constitutional Law in Bangladesh, 3rdedition, MB, Dhaka, 2012, p. 377.
  62. Chittaranjan v Secy. Judicial Department, 17 DLR, 1965, p. 451 cited at Mahmudul Islam, Constitutional Law in Bangladesh, 3rdedition, MB Publishing, Dhaka, 2012.
  63. The National Women Development Policy, 2011, Bangladesh, clause 25 (2).
  64. BNWLA (n 3).
  65. Huda (n 21).
  66. Mahua (n 6).
  67. Ibid.
  68. Huda (n 21).
  69. Ibid.
  70. Shukrana (n 36).
  71. Huda (n 21).
  72. Ibid.
  73. Ibid.
  74. Mansoor (n 53).
  75. UNGA, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res 217A (III), UN Doc A/810 (10 December 1948), art 1.
  76. Ibid, art 17.
  77. BNWLA (n 3).
  78. Ibid.
  79. Ibid.
  80. Ibid.
  81. Mahmood (n 2).
  82. Ibid.