Under the uncodified Hindu law before the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, in which listed…

Before statutory codification, Madras law permitted a widow to adopt without express authority from her husband through the appropriate sapinda-consent route; Bombay law gave the widow wider independent capacity. This identifies historical schools and does not imply that their other conditions were identical.

Current law: Section 8 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 has replaced the relevant uncodified rules. A Hindu widow of sound mind who is not a minor has capacity to adopt, subject to the Act’s other requirements; express authority from her deceased husband is not required.