|
Shimla: Tribal women
in Himachal Pradesh do not come under inheritance law if there is
a male member in the family, Revenue Minister Kaul Singh said
Tuesday.
"Daughters, wives and mothers in the tribal district of Lahaul and
Spiti have the right to own property and inherit ancestral
property, but they can only inherit property when a male
descendent is not available," Singh said in a written reply in the
assembly.
Women's rights groups told IANS that the patriarchal law bars even
widows from inheriting their husband's property, which is
transferred to the sons.
This male-centric local law is also applicable in another tribal
district of Kinnaur, which permits only men to inherit ancestral
property, if it is not bequeathed.
"We are going to knock on the doors of the high court to get
justice," 60-year-old social activist Rattan Manjari, chairperson
of the Mahila Kalyan Parishad, a rights group based in Kinnaur
district, said.
She told IANS that in the past three years, campaigns on educating
tribal women about their rights to ancestral property have failed
to evoke any response.
"We initially launched a drive to educate women about their rights
to inherit ancestral property. Then a signature campaign was
carried out. We got over 20,000 signatures, mainly from women,"
she said.
"A memorandum was sent to President Pranab Mukherjee on January 26
to get rid of the social evil," said Manjari, one of the rare
women in the district who inherited ancestral property.
A prominent apple grower from the picturesque Ribba village, some
250 km from state capital Shimla, Manjari was bequeathed the
entire agricultural land by her mother who opted for her over her
brother.
Another activist, Kanta Negi, said the condition of deserted
women, widows and spinsters is deplorable. "They have to literally
depend on the mercy of other members of the family. If they have
the right to inherit property, they can live with dignity," she
said.
|
Comments
|
Quick links