The Hindu Widow remarriage act was passed in 1856.
Drafted on 25th July 1856 by Lord Dalhousie, the act was passed by Lord Canning before the 1857 rebellion. Canning established the widow remarriage committee in 1866.
The act is considered a crucial, socially relevant legislation after the Abolition of Sati by Lord William Bentick. It removed the disabilities faced by Hindu women in getting married and provided legal safeguards against loss of inheritance for marrying a Hindu widow.
The act provided all the rights and inheritances to all the widows that they had at the time of their first marriage. The act primarily focused on the child widows.
The prominent reformer who filed legislation for widow remarriage was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. On December 7, 1856, he married the first widow against the interests of conservative Hindus in Kolkota.
Four acts were enacted following the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856. They are:
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
Hindu Succession Act, 1956
Hindu Minority & Guardianship Act, 1956
Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956
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