New Delhi: Pointing to the fact that a woman’s “gotra” changes after her marriage, the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, indicated that it does not wish to break a tradition that has been in existence for thousands of years by its decision on a provision of the Hindu Succession Act (HAS).

The Court was hearing a petition challenging the provision of the HAS which states that the property of a childless Hindu widow passes to her husband’s family instead of her parents after her death. ADVERTISEMENT

Justice B V Nagarathna, the sole woman judge in the Supreme Court at the moment, said that Hindu society has the concept of “Kanyadaan”, under which when a woman marries, her “gotra”, which refers to a clan or a descendant from a common ancestor, also changes.

The primary question of law that came

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