An Overview of Intercountry Adoption with Special Focus on India

Abstract

Adoption as a family formation has been the subject of extensive study for the past three decades. India, as one of the more ancient Asian mainland nations, has seen significant changes in the adoption sector. India has changed dramatically from casually embracing male child for performing last conducts after the death of the received guardians. During the 1950s, India's social reform focused on finding a home for relinquished, dejected, illconceived, and surrendered youngsters. These children were supervised and eventually placed for residential and international adoption. In India, there are several different religions, but there is no single adoption rule that applies to all of them. In India, the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, is the only personal law that governs adoption. Since Indian religions such as Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Parsis lack their own personal law regulating adoption, they are unable to adopt a child and give them their family name. Under the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890, they can only become the child's guardian. Adoption is a sophisticated and vulnerable concept which was susceptible to the societal stigma that was attached to it therein. The focus of this paper is on a thorough examination of India's adoption laws and the need for a uniform civil code in the field of adoption.