The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, recognizes adoption of a daughter and confers that right upon both a male Hindu as well as a female Hindu.

Section 12 of the Act states that an adoptive child shall be considered to be the child of his/her adoptive father or mother for all purposes with effect from the date of the adoption, and from such date, all the ties of the adoptive child with his birth family shall be deemed severed and replaced by those created by the adoptive family.

The effect of this Section seem to be that the adoptive father and the adoptive mother would be regarded as the natural guardians of the adopted child.