Who is the natural guardian of a minor under Section 6 of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act?

Section 6 of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act names the father, and after him the mother, as natural guardian of a legitimate minor (the mother ordinarily having custody of a child under five), and the mother, and after her the father, for an illegitimate minor. In Githa Hariharan v Reserve Bank of India (1999) "after" was read to mean in the absence of the father, not only after his death. The answer is therefore "Mother & father both as per the case"; neither parent alone is the natural guardian in every case, and grandparents are not natural guardians.