PERSONAL LAWS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2018

About:

• Objective: According to government, Leprosy is a curable disease and the Amendment Bill is aimed at eliminating leprosy as a ground for dissolution of marriage or divorce.
  
  
• Laws to be amended: For this purpose, it seeks to amend the following five Personal Laws which contain provisions related to marriage and divorce –
  1. The Divorce Act, 1869,
     
     
  2. The Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939,
     
     
  3. The Special Marriage Act, 1954,
     
     
  4. The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and
     
     
  5. The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. 
     
     
  
  
  
• The proposed law, thus implements the recommendations of UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution in 2010 and Law Commission of India.
  • UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution in 2010 on the ‘Elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members’. India has signed and ratified it.
    
    
  • Law Commission of India in its 256^th Report titled “Eliminating Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy”, recommended for removing the discriminatory provisions in various statutes against the persons affected with leprosy.