Report No. 178

12. Amendment of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 (78 of 1956.-

In the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act 1956, in section 18, in sub-section (2),

(i) for clause (d) the following clause shall be substituted , namely:-

"(d) if he has any other wife living, whether the marriage of the other wife had been solemnized before or after the commencement of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955."

(ii) after clause (g), the following Explanations shall be inserted at the end, namely:

"Explanation.-1 A woman who marries a person without knowing that he is already married and that his wife is living shall, without prejudice to claim maintenance on the ground mentioned in clause (d) , be entitled to live separately from her husband.

Explanation.-2 A woman who marries a person knowing that he is already married and that his wife is living, shall be entitled to live separately from her husband without forfeiting her claim to maintenance on any of the grounds mentioned in clauses (a), (b), (c), (e), (f) and (g)."