Adoption is becoming common in India and there are laws that govern adoption in India. Hindu adoption and maintenance Act 1956 governs adoption in India but I would like to know if it is the only act that governs adoption in India and whether the Adoption laws are similar for everyone or there are different laws for different religion or there are other laws that governs adoption? What are the laws that governs adoption in India?
In India, any citizen who is a Hindu, Jain, Sikhs, or Buddhist is allowed to adopt a child under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956. According to this act, a single parent or married couple is not allowed to adopt more than one child of the same sex. Guardian and Wards Act of 1890 is applicable for foreign citizens, NRIs, and those Indian citizens who are Muslims, Parsis, Christians or Jews. According to this act, the adoptive parent is only the guardian of the child until he/she reaches 18 years of age.
