With reference to the history of ancient India, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.Mitakshara was the civil law for upper castes and Dayabhaga was the civil law for lower castes.
- 2.In the Mitakshara system, the sons can claim right to the property during the lifetime of the father, whereas in the Dayabhaga system, it is only after the death of the father that the sons can claim right to the property.
- 3.The Mitakshara system deals with the matters related to the property held by male members only of a family, whereas the Dayabhaga system deals with the matters related to the property held by both male and female members of a family.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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Answer: B. Statement 1 is wrong: Mitakshara and Dayabhaga are regional schools of Hindu law, not caste-based. Statement 2 is correct: under Mitakshara, sons get a right by birth to ancestral property, while under Dayabhaga sons get rights only after the father's death. Statement 3 is wrong: the difference is not about male-only versus male and female property. So only 2.
Watch for: Remember: Dayabhaga is the Bengal school, Mitakshara the rest of India; the split is regional, not caste-based.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the two schools are not divided by caste.
- C. Wrong because statements 1 and 3 are false.
- D. Wrong because statement 3 misdescribes the schools.
Source to check: Mulla, Principles of Hindu Law (Mitakshara and Dayabhaga schools); Hindu Succession Act, 1956 background
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.