Mother of a Hindu child, was declared by the Apex Court, to be the natural guardian, during the life…

In Githa Hariharan v. Reserve Bank of India (1999), the Supreme Court interpreted "after" in Section 6(a) of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act as "in the absence of". A mother can therefore act as natural guardian while the father is alive where he is absent, indifferent, incapacitated or has agreed that she take charge, rather than having to wait for his death.