Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956
11. Other conditions for a valid adoption
In every adoption, the following conditions must be complied
with:
(i) if the adoption is of a son, the adoptive father or mother
by whom the adoption is made must not have a Hindu son, son's son or son's son
(whether by legitimate blood relationship or by adoption) living at the time of
adoption;
(ii) if the adoption is of a daughter, the adoptive father or
mother by whom the adoption is made must not have a Hindu daughter or son's
daughter (whether by legitimate blood relationship or by adoption) living at
the time of adoption;
(iii) if the adoption is by a male and the person to be adopted
is a female, the adoptive father is at least twenty-one years older than the
person to be adopted;
(iv) if the adoption is by a female and the person to be adopted
is a male, the adoptive mother is at least twenty-one years older than the
person to be adopted;
(v) the same child may not be adopted simultaneously by two or
more persons;
(vi) the child to be adopted must be actually given and taken in
adoption by the parents or guardian concerned or under their authority with
intent to transfer the child from the family of its birth 2[or in the case of
an abandoned child or child whose parentage is not known, from the place or
family where it has been brought up] to the family of its adoption:
PROVIDED that the performance of datta homam shall not
be essential to the validity of adoption.