Question

Polygamy was permitted for Hindus before the year

• A. 1956
• B. 1954
• C. 1955
• D. 1978

Hint:

Remember the 'Hindu Code Bills' enacted in the mid-1950s that reformed Hindu personal law. The key ones are: - Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (introduced monogamy) - Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (reformed inheritance) - Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 - Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 Associating monogamy with the 1955 Act is crucial.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks until which year was polygamy (specifically, polygyny - a man having more than one wife) legally permitted for Hindus in India.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Before the codification of Hindu personal law after India's independence, Hindu law was largely uncodified and based on ancient texts and customs. Under this traditional law, a Hindu man was permitted to have more than one wife.
This practice was outlawed by the enactment of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, lays down the conditions for a valid Hindu marriage. Section 5(i) states that a marriage may be solemnized between any two Hindus, if "neither party has a spouse living at the time of the marriage."
This condition introduced the principle of monogamy as a strict legal requirement for all Hindus. Any marriage solemnized after the Act came into force in contravention of this condition is null and void under Section 11, and the person remarrying is liable for bigamy under Section 17 of the Act and Section 494 of the IPC.
The Act came into force on 18th May 1955. Therefore, polygamy was permitted before this date.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Polygamy was permitted for Hindus before the enactment of the Hindu Marriage Act in 1955.