Is Polyandry Legal In India? Two Brothers From Himachal Pradesh Marry The Same Woman

One bride, Sunita Chauhan. Two grooms, Pradeep and Kapil Negi. Both the brothers, hailing from Himachal Pradesh's Hatti tribe, have been in the news after they married the same woman in a three-day ceremony that was attended by hundreds at Shillai Village in Sirmaur District of Himachal Pradesh on July 12. While Kapil works and lives abroad, Pradeep is employed in a government department.

"We followed the tradition publicly as we are proud of it and it was a joint decision. We are ensuring support, stability and love for our wife as a united family. We have always believed in transparency," Kapil told PTI. kno

Is polyandry legal in India?

Polyandry is not legal in India. However, the tribal tradition under the Jodidar Law is still protected by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which allows certain tribal communities to follow it. The Hatti community, which is declared as a scheduled tribe, has a polyandry tradition known as jodidara.

What is jodidara?

The marriage was conducted in accordance with the tribal custom known as jodidara, which is still recognised in Himachal Pradesh's revenue laws.

It has been reported that bride Sunita, who hails from Kunhat village, was aware of jodidara tradition and her decision to get married was made without any pressure.

Jodidara is a traditional form of fraternal polyandry. In this custom, two or more brothers can share one wife.

The practice is common among the Hatti tribe in Himachal Pradesh. The thought behind following this custom is to prevent division of ancestral property and management of cultivable land (which was a scarce resource when the practice came into being), promote family unity and ensure security in tribal societies. Another argument given in favour of polyandry is that the "woman in never widowed, even if the elder brother dies."

Twitter and Instagram explodes with comments

Ever since the news of the marriage broke out on social media, the internet seems divided about it.

"I am Himachali, but I don't support polyandry at all. It was a culture in the upper areas of Himachal long back," says an Instagram user. "When the time and conditions are different and easy now, these practices should be completely abolished."

"Polyandry is not legally permitted under Indian civil law. But in Himachal Pradesh it is allowed legally. 2-5 brothers marry one woman. Why do we have two types of law in the same nation," questioned another X user.

"Wedding rituals in some parts of Himachal may seem wild to outsiders, but for the people there, it's just tradition. What's crazy to us, is simply normal for them. Cultural norms aren't universal and that's okay," added Neha Dhiman, a journalist and X user.

Published on: Monday, July 21, 2025, 03:00 PM IST