Overview

• Sunita Chauhan wed brothers Pradeep and Kapil Negi on July 12 in a three-day public ceremony under the Hatti tribe’s fraternal polyandry custom.
• Himachal Pradesh revenue statutes exempt Hatti polyandrous unions from India’s national ban and grant them legal recognition.
• The newlyweds report feeling distressed by intense international media coverage and social media commentary that have intruded on their private lives.
• Local politicians and tribal leaders have defended the practice and confirmed that Sunita entered the marriage freely without any coercion.
• No legal challenges have been filed against the union and community norms continue to assign offspring to the eldest brother or by customary rotation when paternity is unclear.