A young widow, who has remarried, on Monday asked the Supreme Court: Can a mother not claim equal rights as that of a father in regard to her child's guardianship?

The query touches upon an issue - of men being more than equal to women when it comes to guardianship - that has evoked the resentment of women's rights activists and led to a National Commission for Women (NCW) recommendation for an amendment to Guardianship and Wards Act, 1890. The amendment suggested by NCW aimed to give the mother rights similar to those of father.