Union government of India approved the changes in the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill 2010

The Union government of India approved the changes in the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 2 May 2012. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 17 May 2012 approved the amendments seeking to give the wife and children a clearly-defined share in the husband’s immovable residential property in case of divorce.

The Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also gave its consent to a provision that both husband and wife seeking divorce will have to file petitions together for waiver of the six-months cooling period.

The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks amendments in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The bill, which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on 2 May 2012, had faced severe criticism of the opposition parties in the house and the civil society outside for some of its provisions.