Where a Hindu male and a Hindu female contract their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954,…

When a Hindu male and a Hindu female solemnize or register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, they opt for a secular civil marriage governed exclusively by the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Consequently, Hindu personal matrimonial law (the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955) does not apply to the validity, matrimonial obligations, judicial separation, nullity, or dissolution of such marriage. (While Section 21A of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 preserves the application of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 for inheritance and prevents severance from the undivided family where both parties are Hindus, the marriage itself remains governed solely by the Special Marriage Act, 1954.)