# Family Law — Niyam

> AI legal research for Indian family practice: the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890. Divorce, custody, and maintenance — every answer cited and good-law checked.

Family practice turns on the right personal-law statute and the precedent that controls. Niyam reads the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 — and answers in plain English, every point cited to the provision or judgment it came from.

## What you can do
- Divorce, custody, maintenance, and succession authority cited to the source
- Match the right personal-law statute to the parties and the relief
- Good-law signals so an overruled precedent never reaches your petition

## Capabilities
- **Ask the family-law question you actually have** — Type the question the way you'd put it to a senior — 'what is the test for custody where both parents are working?' Niyam reads the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 and the governing judgments and answers in plain English, the controlling authority shown alongside.
- **Citations you can open and check** — Every proposition carries its authority. Open the cited section or judgment, read the exact paragraph, and confirm it says what Niyam says — because in a contested matter the source is the argument.
- **Know a precedent is safe before you rely on it** — Niyam surfaces how later courts have treated a judgment — followed, distinguished, referred, or overruled — so an overruled citation never reaches your petition or appeal. When the law has moved on, it points you to the authority that now governs.
- **Search 72,000+ judgments and the personal-law statutes** — Behind every answer is the full corpus — the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and the judgments construing them — indexed so the case on point surfaces even when it's phrased differently from your query.

## How it works
1. **Ask in plain English** — Describe the parties, the relief, and the issue the way you'd brief a colleague. Niyam matches the right personal-law statute and reads the governing judgments to understand exactly what controls.
2. **Get a cited answer** — Every answer comes grounded in primary sources — sections and judgments — with citations you can open and verify yourself.
3. **Verify and act** — Read the source, confirm it's still good law, then draft the petition, reply, or grounds of appeal from it — without leaving Niyam.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which personal-law statutes does Niyam cover?
Niyam is grounded in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, together with the judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts that construe them. You can match the right statute to the parties and move from a relief to the section and precedent that governs it.

### Can it help with custody and maintenance?
Yes. Niyam surfaces the authority on custody and guardianship grounded in the welfare-of-the-child principle the courts apply, and on interim and permanent maintenance with the judgments that bear on quantum — each linked to the source so you cite the holding, not a headnote.

### Does it check whether a precedent is still good law?
Yes. Niyam surfaces a judgment's treatment history — whether later courts have followed, distinguished, referred to, or overruled it — so you can see at a glance whether a family-law authority is safe to cite. When a judgment has been overruled, it points you to the authority that now governs.

### Can it find a case if I don't know the citation?
Yes. Describe the matter and the issue in plain English and Niyam finds the authority by the legal question, not just the keywords — so it surfaces the divorce or succession case on point even when it is phrased differently from how you searched. You then open the judgment and confirm it.

### Is this legal advice?
No. Niyam provides legal information and research grounded in primary sources. It does not create an advocate–client relationship and does not replace advice from a qualified advocate. You remain responsible for confirming which personal law applies, verifying every citation, and exercising professional judgment.

### Which courts and statutes are covered?
Judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts, plus the personal-law statutes — the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Special Marriage Act, 1954, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Coverage keeps expanding; the corpus already runs to more than 72,000 judgments alongside the statute book.

### Are my matters and queries private?
Yes. Your queries and saved research stay private to your account. Niyam is built for the confidentiality family matters demand — your work product is never sold and never used to train public models.

## Get started
Create your Niyam account in under a minute — ₹100 to start, 200 credits to try everything. Ask your first divorce or custody question and see the authority behind every answer. Start your ₹100 trial at https://app.niyam.ai/register — 200 credits to begin, cancel anytime.