Chapter I PRELIMINARY

(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Budhists' Polyandrous Marriages Prohibition Act, 1998. (2) It extends to the whole of the Jammu and Kashrnir State and applies to all Budhist subjects of His Highness the Maharaja Bahadur in or outside the State.

In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,- (a) "Budhist" means a person who professes the Budhid faith or religion ; (b) "polyandrous marriage" means a marriage-in whi& all the brothers in a family jointly marry a single wife ; - .- - - "ai (c) "Phursak" means a husband chosen as such by a woman who is already married with the concurrence of her formerly wedded husband or husbands ; (d) "contracting party to a marriage" means either of the parties whose marriage is or is about to be solemnbed; and