their husbands and provides for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. This Act,
      provides that a divorced Muslim woman shall be entitled to: (a) reasonable and fair provision
      and maintenance to be made and paid to her within the period by her former husband; (b) where
      she herself maintains children born to her before or after her former husband for a period of two
      years from the respective dates of birth of such children; (c) an amount equal to the sum of or
      dower agreed to be paid to her at the time of her marriage or at any time there after according to
      the Muslim Law; and (d) all property given to her before or at the time of marriage or after her
      marriage by her relatives or friends or by husband or any relatives of the husband or his friends.
           In addition, the Act also provides that where a divorced Muslim woman is unable to
      maintain herself after the period the magistrate shall order directing such of her relatives as
      would been titled to inherit her property on her death according to the Muslim Law and to pay
      such reasonable and fair maintenance to her as he may determine fit and proper, having regard to
      the needs of the divorced woman, standard of life enjoyed by her during her marriage and means
      of such relatives and such maintenance shall be payable by such relatives in proportion to the
      size of their inheritance of her property and at such periods as he may specify in his order.
           Where such divorced woman has children, the magistrate shall order only such children to
      pay maintenance to her and in the event of any such children being unable to pay such
      maintenance, the magistrate shall order parents of such divorced woman to pay maintenance to
      her. In the absence of such relatives or where such relatives are not in a position to maintain her,
      the magistrate may direct state Wakf Board established under Section 13 of the Wakf Act, 1995
      functioning in the area in which the woman resides, to pay such maintenance as determined by
      him.
           The Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936 recognises the right of wife to maintenance-both
      alimony and permanent alimony. The maximum amount that can be decreed by the court as
      alimony during the time a matrimonial suit is pending in court, is one-fifth of the husband’s net
      income. In fixing the quantum as permanent maintenance, the court will determine what is just,
      bearing in mind the ability of husband to pay, wife’s own assets and conduct of the parties. The
      order will remain in force as long as wife remains chaste and unmarried. The Divorce Act, 1869,
      governs maintenance rights of a Christian wife. The provisions are the same as those under the
      Parsi Law and the same considerations are applied in granting maintenance, both alimony and
      permanent maintenance.
      Succession
           The Indian Succession Act was enacted in 1925 to consolidate the law applicable to
      intestate and testamentary succession which was in existence at that time. The Act does not apply
      to the residents of the union territory of Puducherry. While consolidating the law in respect of
      succession, two schemes, one relating to succession to property of persons like Indian Christians,
      Jews and persons married under The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the other relating to
      succession rights of Parsis, were adopted.
           In the first scheme, applying to those other than Parsis, in the case of a person dying
      intestate leaving behind a widow and lineal descendants, the widow would be entitled to a fixed
      share of one-third of property and lineal descendants shall be entitled to the remaining two-
      thirds. This law was amended subsequently with the objective of improving rights of widows and
      it was provided that where the intestate dies leaving behind his widows and no lineal descendant
      and the net value of the estate does not exceed 5,000, the widow would be entitled to the whole