Abdul Qahir alias Sadiq v. Bibi Aisha,
PCrLJ 2012 1821 · Balochistan High Court
This case is about a legal dispute over possession of a house in Quetta. Bibi Aisha, a widow, filed a complaint claiming that her late husband's property was forcibly occupied by Abdul Qahir and three others. Since her husband had died, the property legally passed to her and her heirs under Islamic inheritance rules, even though it was still officially recorded in her deceased husband's name. While she and her son were away, her watchman was staying at the house and was forcibly removed by the accused. A trial court used the Illegal Dispossession Act, 2005 to order that possession be restored to her.
The accused challenged this in the Balochistan High Court, arguing the complainant's documents were fake, that she wasn't the legal owner or occupier, and that she therefore had no right to bring the complaint.
The High Court dismissed their petition and upheld the trial court's order. It ruled that a widow inherits her husband's property automatically upon his death, making her a lawful owner even before formal transfer of records. It also held that having a watchman live in the property counted as her "possession," since possession under the law includes constructive possession—meaning control through another person—not just physical occupation. The court further clarified that filing a police report (FIR) doesn't block someone from also seeking remedy under the Illegal Dispossession Act, and doing so doesn't amount to double punishment for the same offense. The judgment emphasizes the State's duty to protect the property rights of widows and orphans.
یہ مقدمہ کوئٹہ میں واقع ایک مکان کے قبضے سے متعلق قانونی تنازعے کے بارے میں ہے۔ بی بی عائشہ، جو ایک بیوہ ہیں، نے یہ شکایت درج کرائی کہ ان کے مرحوم شوہر کی جائیداد پر عبدالقہیر اور تین دیگر افراد نے زبردستی قبضہ کر لیا ہے۔ چونکہ ان کے شوہر انتقال کر چکے تھے، اس لیے یہ جائیداد اسلامی قانونِ وراثت کے تحت قانونی طور پر ان کی اور ان کے ورثاء کی ملکیت میں منتقل ہو چکی تھی، اگرچہ سرکاری ریکارڈ میں یہ اب بھی ان کے مرحوم شوہر کے نام پر درج تھی۔ جب وہ اور ان کا بیٹا وہاں موجود نہیں تھے تو ان کا چوکیدار مکان میں مقیم تھا، جسے ملزمان نے زبردستی نکال دیا۔ ایک ٹرائل کورٹ نے غیر قانونی بےدخلی ایکٹ، 2005 کے تحت حکم دیا کہ قبضہ واپس بی بی عائشہ کو دیا جائے۔
ملزمان نے اس فیصلے کو بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ میں چیلنج کیا اور موقف اختیار کیا کہ شکایت کنندہ کے دستاویزات جعلی