What counts as stridhan
Stridhan includes gifts given to a woman before, during and after her marriage (from her parents, her husband, her in-laws and others) together with her own earnings, savings, investments and property acquired in her name.
It is distinct from dowry. Dowry is property demanded or given as a condition of marriage and is unlawful; stridhan is the woman’s lawful property, however it was given. The distinction matters because the remedies differ, though in practice claims frequently run together.
The routes to recover it
More than one remedy is available, and the right combination depends on what is held, by whom, and whether other proceedings are already running.
Proof is the entire difficulty
Families rarely document what was given, and years later the dispute becomes one person’s word against another’s. What helps: wedding photographs and video showing jewellery worn, purchase invoices and jeweller records, bank statements for locker access and purchases, insurance schedules, gift lists prepared at the time, and messages referring to specific items.
If you are leaving the matrimonial home, prepare an inventory before you go and, where you can, take the articles with you. Recovering property already in someone else’s possession is far harder than keeping it, and courts can only order the return of what can be identified and proved.