Marriage To Muslim Man Does Not Automatically Convert Hindu Woman To Islam: Delhi HC
The suit, filed in 2007, was initiated by the eldest daughter of a man from his first marriage against her father and his two sons from his second marriage. Another daughter from the first marriage later joined as the second plaintiff.

The Delhi High Court has held that merely marrying a Muslim man does not result in an automatic conversion from Hinduism to Islam.
The observation was made by Justice Jasmeet Singh while partially allowing a partition suit involving Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) properties.
The Court held that, "merely marrying a Muslim does not result in an automatic conversion from Hinduism to Islam."
Case Background
The suit, filed in 2007, was initiated by the eldest daughter of a man from his first marriage against her father and his two sons from his second marriage. Another daughter from the first marriage later joined as the second plaintiff.
The plaintiffs argued that, following the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, which granted daughters equal rights in ancestral properties, they were entitled to a 1/5th share each in the HUF properties. The suit was necessitated as the defendant sons were allegedly attempting to sell or alienate the properties without the daughters' consent.
After the father passed away in December 2008, the defendant sons contended that the eldest daughter had ceased to be a Hindu due to her marriage to a Muslim man of Pakistani origin residing in the United Kingdom, thereby disqualifying her from claiming a share in the HUF properties.
Court's Observations and Findings
The Court ruled that the burden of proving the eldest daughter's alleged conversion to Islam rested entirely on the defendants. The Court found that the defendants failed to produce any evidence to substantiate their claim that the daughter had renounced Hinduism or formally converted to Islam.
The Court emphasized that the woman had categorically stated in her affidavit that she continued to follow Hinduism despite her civil marriage to a Muslim man. It further noted, "Merely marrying a Muslim does not result in an automatic conversion from Hinduism to Islam. In the present case, aside from a bare averment made by the defendants, no substantive evidence has been produced to prove that the plaintiff no. 1 underwent a recognized process of conversion to Islam."
In the absence of evidence proving conversion, the Court held that the eldest daughter retained her rights under Hindu law and was entitled to claim her share in the HUF properties.
Court's Ruling
The Court ruled that the plaintiff daughters were entitled to:
1. 1/4th share each in the amount lying in the PPF account held by the HUF.
2. Two properties, as the defendant sons had filed affidavits relinquishing their rights, title, and interests in these properties in favor of the daughters as a goodwill gesture.
Cause Title: Dr. Pushpalata & Anr. v. Ram Das HUF & Ors. [Neutral Citation No. 2025: DHC: 251]
Appearance:-
Plaintiff: Advocates Varun Nischal, Rajat Manchanda, Parveen Kalra, Aditi Singhal, Somya, Deepanshu Bharti, Shubham Sharma
Defendant: Senior Advocate Manish Vashisht, Advocates Rikky Gupta, Ananya Singh, Vanshay Kaul, VedanshVashisht, Harshita Nathrani
Click here to read/download the Judgment