This amendment is a progressive step and follows the spirit of strong women like Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai, who broke social traditions by performing Pandavani in the ‘Kapalik’ style, which was earlier performed only by men.
Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh government has made an important change to an old law related to adoption. The term ‘adopted son‘ has now been replaced with ‘adopted child‘ in all legal documents. This step is being seen as a big move towards gender equality and social reform.
ALSO READ: Chhattisgarh Government Will Introduce New Strict Law Against Religious Conversions
State Finance Minister OP Choudhary explained the reason for this change, saying,
“In the 1908 Act, only the term ‘son’ was mentioned for adoption, reflecting the patriarchal mindset of the time. We have now amended it to use ‘adopted child’ to ensure gender neutrality and respect for women.”
This amendment is a progressive step and follows the spirit of strong women like Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai, who broke social traditions by performing Pandavani in the ‘Kapalik‘ style, which was earlier performed only by men.
Another example is Padma Shri Phoolbasan Bai, who empowered more than 8 lakh women through self-help groups in rural Chhattisgarh.
Social worker V Polamma welcomed the amendment, stating, “In 2005, daughters got equal property rights under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act. It’s only fair that adoption laws reflect similar equality.”
Activist Vibha Singh also praised the move, saying, “The move sends a strong message against gender bias in adoption.”
Between January 2021 and February this year, 417 children were adopted in Chhattisgarh, out of which 246 were girls. During this period, 369 children from the state were adopted by families across different states in India, and 48 children were adopted by families in other countries.
So far, all adoption documents used the term ‘adopted son‘ even when the adopted child was a girl. This highlights why the recent change is so important.
Even though adoption laws are becoming more equal, gender-biased words are still found in many government forms and daily use.
For example, terms like “I, son of…” are still common in official documents. This shows that more changes are needed to remove male-centric language and promote true gender equality in Indian society.
