264 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
permitted to come in for a share. That is one of the reasons why the Select Committee adopted this provision.
I might also draw the attention of the House to the fact that with regard to widows a disqualification has been introduced by the Select Committee which says that a widow on remarriage shall lose her right of inheritance.
Then with regard to the daughter’s share, which of course existed in the original Bill itself, the Select Committee has made a somewhat important alteration. The original Bill said that the daughter shall get a share equal to half the share of the son and in order to make equity equitable in devising the line of succession to the Stridhan property of the woman they had also provided that in that case the son will take one half of what the daughter takes, so that the daughter will take one half in the father’s and the son will take one half in the mother’s property. I cannot say that that was an inequitable proposition but somehow the Select Committee and I believe I can say against the best part of their judgement increased in their enthusiasm the share of the daughter in father’s property from one half to one full share, equal to that of the son. ( An honourable Member: “The son is also given.”) I am aware of that. With regard to succession to females there are only two changes which the Select Committee has made. Under the existing rule the husband of a woman in the case of succession to females comes much later under the Hindu law and that provision was included by the old Rau Committee. The Select Committee felt that that was rather unjust, because it may be (it is often possible) that much of the property which is called Stridhan property or property which comes into the hands of a woman may, and perhaps does, to a very large extent come from the husband and if the husband is the principal source of the property, that comes into the hands of the woman, it is not proper that it should be postponed to other heirs. Consequently the Select Committee altered the provision and brought the husband in line with the other Stridhan heirs, so that the husband now shares simultaneously with the heirs of a woman, who share in the Stridhan property. As I said that because that increased the share of the daughter in the father’s, they also pari passu made the share of the son in the mother’s Stridhan property equal to that of the daughter.
Mr. Deputy Speaker : They balanced the son and daughter.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : No change has been made in the law relating to maintenance which is worthy of requiring any mention to this House.