Daughters were given equal rights with sons as coparceners in joint Hindu family (ancestral) property through an amendment to the:

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 amended Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, to make daughters coparceners in joint Hindu family property by birth, with the same rights and liabilities as sons.

Background:

• Under the Mitakshara school of Hindu law, a joint Hindu family property was held by male members as coparceners.
• Before 2005, daughters were not coparceners and had limited rights in ancestral property.
• Some states, such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka, had already made changes in their laws to give daughters rights.

Main changes by the 2005 amendment:

• A daughter becomes a coparcener by birth, just like a son.
• She has the same rights and liabilities in coparcenary property as a son.
• She can ask for partition of the property.
• Married daughters also have these rights.

Supreme Court interpretation:

In the Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma case (2020), the Supreme Court held that a daughter has coparcenary rights by birth, even if her father died before the 2005 amendment came into force.

This settled earlier conflicting judgments on the issue.

The source's wording:

The source says the Supreme Court gave equal rights "by amending" the Act; in fact, Parliament amended the Act, and the Supreme Court interpreted it.

Hindu Code Bills:

In the 1950s, Parliament passed four major laws as part of the Hindu Code: the Hindu Marriage Act, the Hindu Succession Act, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, as Law Minister, worked on the Hindu Code Bill, and he resigned in 1951 partly because of the delay in passing it.

Application:

The Hindu Succession Act applies to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.

Importance:

The amendment was an important step towards gender equality in property rights.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act deals with adoption and maintenance.
• ✗The Indian Succession Act, 1925 applies mainly to Christians, Parsis and others.
• ✗The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act deals with guardianship of minors.