Under Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 a male Hindu of 17 years of age adopts a female child…

Under section 7 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, only a male Hindu "who is of sound mind and is not a minor" has capacity to take a son or daughter in adoption. A 17-year-old is a minor, and section 5(1) provides that an adoption made in contravention of the Act "shall be void".

Section 11(iii) also requires a male adopting a female to be at least twenty-one years older than her, which a 17-year-old cannot satisfy. A void adoption creates no rights, so it is neither valid nor voidable.