Under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, a child of one Hindu parent is considered Hindu if:

Explanation (b) to section 2(1) treats as Hindu any child, legitimate or illegitimate, one of whose parents is a Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina or Sikh and who is "brought up as a member of the tribe, community, group or family" to which that parent belongs or belonged. It does not matter whether the Hindu parent is the father or the mother, or whether the child is legitimate.