India: Family and Matrimonial

The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark judgment in Chaturbhuj Pradhan v. Amar Pradhan addressing the complex intersection of DNA testing in paternity disputes with fundamental rights to privacy, personal identity, and inheritance. This ruling establishes critical legal precedents on when courts can order genetic testing to determine biological parentage and how such orders balance individual autonomy against the rights of children and families.

The Delhi High Court, in Uma Bharti & Anr. v. The Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors. [W.P.(CRL) 2429/2026], directed local police to protect a live-in couple whose relationship was opposed by the woman’s father and brother. The order, passed by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Saurabh Banerjee on 13.08.2026, reaffirms that a consenting adult’s choice to reside with a partner of their choosing remains constitutionally protected, irrespective of familial or societal disapproval.

The Rajasthan High Court examines the controversial practice of Atta-Satta, a reciprocal marriage arrangement between families, and its profound implications for consent, child marriage, and women's dignity. This landmark case challenges whether deeply rooted social customs can override fundamental principles of individual consent and matrimonial rights.

The Kerala High Court delivered a significant judgment addressing whether an individual's wish to donate their body after death should be honored, even when family members object. This case examines the legal and ethical dimensions of posthumous bodily autonomy and the extent to which personal decisions about one's own body can override familial preferences.

In this episode of Podcast Bites powered by IndiaLaw LLP, host Shreya Shukla discusses the Bombay High Court’s judgment in Warsha Eleekusumchand Javeri v. Rajan Suren Goregaonkar and Others, decided on 6 May 2026.

The institution of marriage in Indian society rests upon foundational principles of trust, transparency, and mutual consent. When these pillars are compromised through misrepresentation or fraud, the aggrieved party...

The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark judgment in Chaturbhuj Pradhan v. Amar Pradhan addressing the complex intersection of DNA testing in paternity disputes with fundamental rights to privacy, personal identity, and inheritance. This ruling establishes critical legal precedents on when courts can order genetic testing to determine biological parentage and how such orders balance individual autonomy against the rights of children and families.

India's corporate landscape is dominated by family-controlled businesses, which constitute approximately 80% of all enterprises and contribute about 79% to the national GDP.

The Supreme Court has clarified how property registered in the joint names of two wives of a common husband should be treated for succession purposes under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. In a case involving a 1959 property purchase where the husband provided consideration but registered the land in his two wives' names, the Court held that the property vested in the wives themselves, not the husband. The judgment demonstrates how Sections 33, 35 and 38 of the Act must be applied sequentially and separatel