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UGC NET LAW (058) · UNIT 07 · MODULE 1: START HERE AND SOURCES OF FAMILY LAW · TOPIC 0

Exam Pattern, Recent Trends and How to Use These Notes

What the paper asks, where the marks sit, the recent trends and 25 one-liners to memorise before anything else.

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What this topic covers

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  1. §OverviewBottom line: Unit VII is one of ten units in Paper 2 (Law), so expect roughly 8–12 of the 100 questions from Family Law.
  2. 0.1What UGC NET actually asksQuestion type What it tests Typical shape Statement-based (I, II, III: which are correct?) Conditions, grounds, exceptions ‘Which of the following are void marriages under…
  3. 0.2Where the marks usually sit (approximate, not an official breakup)Covers Highest density, Steady, Rising, Rarely but not never.
    • Highest density
    • Steady
    • Rising
    • Rarely but not never
  4. 0.3Recent trend analysis (what the last 3–4 years suggest)Covers Constitutional lens on personal law, Judge-made divorce law, New criminal codes, Women’s property and maintenance, State-level codification and more.
    • Judge-made divorce law
    • New criminal codes
    • State-level codification
    • Waqf
  5. 0.4Top 25 high-yield one-liners (memorise first)Hindu marriage is a sacrament in origin; Section 7 requires customary rites, and saptapadi completes it where applicable. Section 5 HMA conditions: monogamy, sound mind, age…
  6. 0.5How to reviseCovers Pass 1 (concept), Pass 2 (memory), Pass 3 (traps).
    • Pass 1 (concept)
    • Pass 2 (memory)
    • Pass 3 (traps)

Revision mode hides the full explanations and keeps each section's key terms and lists, plus the Memory Capsule and Analysis Angle. Use it from your second read onward.

§Overview#

Bottom line: Unit VII is one of ten units in Paper 2 (Law), so expect roughly 8–12 of the 100 questions from Family Law. Every question is an MCQ worth 2 marks, there is no negative marking, and Papers 1 and 2 are attempted together in one 3-hour sitting (150 questions, 300 marks). Family Law rewards three things: exact section numbers and time limits, landmark case–principle pairs, and 2023–2026 developments. Recent NET papers lean on ‘current’ law, and your revised syllabus now names live-in relationships and the Uniform Civil Code outright, so both are fair game.

These notes follow the ten syllabus topics in order. Each topic has (1) a concept core in plain paragraphs, (2) bullet lists of provisions and conditions, (3) tables for case laws and comparisons, (4) a ‘Recent trend’ box, and (5) ‘MCQ traps’. The last section is a revision toolkit: master case table, numbers and dates, and one-liners. Items marked (verify) are recent developments taken from news and legal-portal reports (up to October 2026); confirm the exact title or holding on the Supreme Court website or LiveLaw before relying on them for a numerical or ‘who decided’ question.

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0.1What UGC NET actually asks#

In brief

Question type What it tests Typical shape Statement-based (I, II, III: which are correct?) Conditions, grounds, exceptions ‘Which of the following are void marriages under…

Question type What it tests Typical shape
Statement-based (I, II, III: which are correct?) Conditions, grounds, exceptions ‘Which of the following are void marriages under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955?’
Matching (List I with List II) Case ↔ principle, Act ↔ year, school ↔ founder, section ↔ subject Mulla/Hanafi school names, Shilpa Sailesh ↔ Article 142
Assertion–Reason Reasoning behind a rule ‘Mahr is an unsecured debt’ with reason ‘widow has lien but not title’
Chronological order Sequence of statutes and judgments Shah Bano (1985) → 1986 Act → Danial Latifi (2001) → Shayara Bano (2017) → 2019 Act
‘Not correct’ / odd-one-out Negative knowledge of exceptions Which is NOT a ground in Section 13(2) HMA?
Current-affairs style Newest judgments and statutes State UCCs, Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, Article 142 divorces

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0.2Where the marks usually sit (approximate, not an official breakup)#

In brief

Covers Highest density, Steady, Rising, Rarely but not never.

  • Highest density
  • Steady
  • Rising
  • Rarely but not never

  • Highest density: Muslim law (nikah, talaq forms, mahr, hiba, wasiyat, inheritance, wakf) and Hindu marriage and divorce (Sections 5, 7, 9–13B, 23–25 HMA).

  • Steady: maintenance (Section 125 CrPC / Section 144 BNSS, Shah Bano line, HAMA), adoption and guardianship (HAMA, HMGA, JJ Act, Guardians and Wards Act), Hindu succession (Sections 6, 8, 14, 15 HSA).

  • Rising: live-in relationships, UCC, foreign decrees, Article 142 and irretrievable breakdown, Waqf law, same-sex marriage (Supriyo).

  • Rarely but not never: Parsi and Christian statutes (grounds, mutual-consent waiting periods), Jewish law, Special Marriage Act details.

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0.3Recent trend analysis (what the last 3–4 years suggest)#

In brief

Covers Constitutional lens on personal law, Judge-made divorce law, New criminal codes, Women’s property and maintenance, State-level codification and more.

  • Judge-made divorce law
  • New criminal codes
  • State-level codification
  • Waqf

  1. Constitutional lens on personal law. Questions ask which Article a judgment used (Shayara Bano: Article 14 ‘manifest arbitrariness’; Hadiya and Nandakumar: Article 21 choice of partner; Supriyo: no fundamental right to marry).

  2. Judge-made divorce law. Article 142 divorces for irretrievable breakdown (Shilpa Sailesh, 2023) and the waiver of the 6-month cooling-off period (Amardeep Singh, 2017) are now standard framework questions.

  3. New criminal codes. Old IPC/CrPC/Evidence Act numbers are being replaced by BNS/BNSS/BSA numbers: bigamy BNS 82, cruelty BNS 85, dowry death BNS 80, maintenance BNSS 144, presumption of legitimacy BSA 116. Know both numbers.

  4. Women’s property and maintenance. Vineeta Sharma (2020), Rajnesh v Neha (2020), Mohd. Abdul Samad (2024) and stridhan rulings recur.

  5. State-level codification. Uttarakhand (2024) and Gujarat (2026) UCCs, Goa’s Civil Code, and the ‘can a State enact a UCC?’ debate.

  6. Waqf. Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 and the Supreme Court’s interim order of 15 September 2025 are almost certain current-affairs material.

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0.4Top 25 high-yield one-liners (memorise first)#

In brief

Hindu marriage is a sacrament in origin; Section 7 requires customary rites, and saptapadi completes it where applicable. Section 5 HMA conditions: monogamy, sound mind, age…

  1. Hindu marriage is a sacrament in origin; Section 7 requires customary rites, and saptapadi completes it where applicable.

  2. Section 5 HMA conditions: monogamy, sound mind, age 21/18, not prohibited degrees, not sapindas (unless custom). Clause (vi) was omitted in 1978.

  3. Void: Section 11 (breach of 5(i), (iv), (v)). Voidable: Section 12 (impotence, 5(ii), force/fraud, pre-marital pregnancy by another).

  4. Section 16 HMA: children of void and voidable marriages are legitimate; Revanasiddappa (2023) extends property rights to parents’ share.

  5. Divorce grounds Section 13(1); wife-only grounds Section 13(2); mutual consent Section 13B (1 year separation + 6–18 month motion window).

  6. Amardeep Singh (2017): 6-month period is directory. Shilpa Sailesh (2023): Article 142 can dissolve a marriage for irretrievable breakdown.

  7. Saroj Rani (1984) upheld restitution of conjugal rights; T. Sareetha (1983) struck it down.

  8. Dastane (1975): cruelty proved on preponderance of probability. Samar Ghosh (2007): mental cruelty illustrations.

  9. Bipinchandra (1957): four elements of desertion.

  10. Muslim marriage is a civil contract; Shia recognise muta; Sunnis do not.

  11. Talaq-e-biddat void: Shayara Bano (2017, 3:2); criminalised by the 2019 Act.

  12. Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939: Section 2 lists nine grounds; wife’s conversion does not dissolve the marriage (Section 4).

  13. Mahr: debt, not price; wife has lien but no title (Maina Bibi; Kapore Chand).

  14. Shah Bano (1985) → Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986 → Danial Latifi (2001) → Mohd. Abdul Samad (2024).

  15. Section 125 CrPC / Section 144 BNSS: no monetary ceiling since 2001; secular remedy.

  16. HAMA: Section 6 requisites, Section 11 conditions, Section 12 effect, datta homam not essential.

  17. Shabnam Hashmi (2014): JJ Act adoption is open to all irrespective of religion; it is an enabling law.

  18. HMGA Section 6: father natural guardian ‘after’ whom the mother; Gita Hariharan (1999) reads ‘after’ as ‘in absence of’. Mother ordinarily has custody under 5.

  19. HSA Section 6 (2005): daughters coparceners by birth; Vineeta Sharma (2020) says father need not be alive on 9 September 2005.

  20. HSA Section 14: female Hindu is full owner; Tulasamma (1977) on widow’s maintenance-in-lieu.

  21. Muslim will: up to one-third of net estate without heirs’ consent; no registration, no writing needed.

  22. Hiba needs declaration, acceptance and delivery of possession; Section 129 TPA keeps Muslim gifts outside Section 123.

  23. Y. Narasimha Rao (1991): test for recognising foreign matrimonial decrees; Section 13 CPC exceptions (a)–(f).

  24. Live-in: Velusamy (2010) four conditions; Indra Sarma (2013) guidelines; DV Act Section 2(f) ‘relationship in the nature of marriage’.

  25. Article 44: UCC is a Directive Principle; Shah Bano, Sarla Mudgal, John Vallamattom urge it; Goa (Portuguese Civil Code), Uttarakhand (2024) and Gujarat (2026) are the practical examples.

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0.5How to revise#

In brief

Covers Pass 1 (concept), Pass 2 (memory), Pass 3 (traps).

  • Pass 1 (concept)
  • Pass 2 (memory)
  • Pass 3 (traps)

  • Pass 1 (concept): read each topic once; underline the conditions and grounds.

  • Pass 2 (memory): do only the ‘Revision toolkit’ section and the case tables.

  • Pass 3 (traps): read only the ‘MCQ traps’ boxes the day before the exam.

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Last updated: . Notes are a revision aid; check official UGC sources for any rule or scheme that changes over time. Spotted a mistake? Write to netlawverse@gmail.com.