after marriagemarriage it is a civil contract with clear obligations and duties a mehr dower is given by the groom to the bride for her use either at the time of marriage or deferred for later payment the ceremony takes place in the presence of two adult witnesses but a man is necessary two women are not deemed enough polygamy is alloweddivorce and spousal support according to the quran a husband can pronounce divorce only after four attempts at reconciliation he has to also wait for three months iddat a man has rights of unilateral divorce but a woman can move for divorce only on certain specified grounds and this is often used by the husband to deny the mehr after the mwrpda and danial latifi judgement courts have ordered men to pay ongoing maintenance within the threemonth iddat period before divorce under the halala practice a divorced woman must marry another man and consummate the marriage and get divorced again to remarry her former husband adoption and guardianship muslims like christians and parsis had no specific adoption laws and had to approach the court under the guardians and wards act 1890 they could only take a child in fostercare and the child was free to break off the connection after reaching adulthood they had no right to inheritance either a mother is not seen as a natural guardian of the childchristiansinheritance and succession the indian succession act 1925 provides that property be divided equally among the children after deducting onethird which is the widows share but testamentary power is absolute a father can will his property entirely to his sons if he wants saying that women had been given their share at marriagemarriage governed by the indian christian marriage act 1872 with the exception of those in travancorecochin area manipur and jkdivorce and spousal support divorce was traditionally much easier for men than women until discriminatory provisions were reformed in 2001 adoption and guardianship have no specific adoption laws can only apply under the guardians and wards act 1890parsisinheritance and succession parsis penalise those who marry out of the community a nonparsi woman who is either a wife or widow of a parsi cannot inherit though their children can if a parsi woman marries out of the community her children are not considered parsimarriage the parsi marriage and divorce act 1936 was amended in 1988 marriage is a spiritual compact solemnised by a priestdivorce and spousal support divorce claims can be filed only after two years of marriage there are specific onerous grounds for divorce mutual consent or irretrievable breakdown are not accepted as such special parsi marriage matrimonial courts adjudicate disputes wives can claim maintenance under the act until they remarry or start a relationship with someone elseadoption and guardianship the community does not recognise adoption as a means of childbearingscheduled tribesthey follow their own customary laws