Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856
E547696
Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
colonial Indian statute
social reform legislation
women’s rights law
The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856 was a landmark colonial-era Indian law that legally permitted Hindu widows to remarry, challenging orthodox social norms and advancing women’s rights.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856 canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
ⓘ
colonial Indian statute ⓘ social reform legislation ⓘ women’s rights law ⓘ |
| affectedRight | inheritance rights of remarried Hindu widows ⓘ |
| aimedTo |
promote social reform among Hindus
ⓘ
protect men who married Hindu widows from legal penalties ⓘ remove legal doubts about validity of Hindu widow remarriage ⓘ |
| appliesToReligion | Hinduism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| codifiedAspect | validity of remarriage of Hindu widows under Anglo-Hindu law ⓘ |
| consequenceOfRemarriage | widow lost rights to deceased husband’s property ⓘ |
| considered |
landmark in the legal recognition of women’s rights in India
ⓘ
one of the earliest statutory reforms of Hindu personal law ⓘ |
| country | India ⓘ |
| enactmentDate | 1856-07-16 ⓘ |
| enactmentYear | 1856 ⓘ |
| geographicFocus |
Bengal Presidency
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Bombay Presidency NERFINISHED ⓘ Madras Presidency NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasShortName | Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
enacted before the Indian Rebellion of 1857
ⓘ
enacted during East India Company rule ⓘ |
| influenced | later Hindu personal law reforms in the 20th century ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | petitions submitted by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | British India NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| languageOfStatute | English ⓘ |
| legalEffect |
permitted remarriage of Hindu widows
ⓘ
removed legal obstacles to Hindu widow remarriage ⓘ |
| legalSystem | Anglo-Hindu law NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| modifiedRule | traditional Hindu law on widow remarriage ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
conservative sections of Hindu society
ⓘ
orthodox Hindu leaders ⓘ |
| precededBy | social reform campaigns for widow remarriage ⓘ |
| primarySubject |
Hindu widows
ⓘ
widow remarriage ⓘ |
| providedThat |
children of a remarried Hindu widow are legitimate
ⓘ
marriage of a Hindu widow shall be valid ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
19th-century Indian social reform movement
ⓘ
Bengal Renaissance NERFINISHED ⓘ Hindu law reform in British India ⓘ |
| repealedBy | Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| socialImpact |
advanced women’s rights in colonial India
ⓘ
challenged orthodox Hindu social norms regarding widowhood ⓘ encouraged social reform movements in 19th-century India ⓘ |
| sponsor | Lord Dalhousie NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| status | repealed ⓘ |
| supportedBy |
Hindu social reformers in Bengal
ⓘ
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| territorialExtent | territories under the East India Company ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.