Oral evidence is not sufficient to prove faith
PLJ 2006 Lahore 1062 · Lahore High Court
This case involved a family dispute over inheritance property, turning on the religious faith of a deceased man, Imam Bakhsh. His nephews (through his sister) inherited his property through a mutation recorded under Shia inheritance law. Other relatives (collaterals) challenged this, claiming Imam Bakhsh was actually Sunni, which would have entitled them to a much larger share of the estate. The trial court dismissed their claim, but the first appellate court and initially the High Court sided with the collaterals. The Supreme Court then sent the case back, asking the High Court to determine two things: whether certain documents (a will, an affidavit, and a mutation record) were properly proved, and whether these documents plus a widow's statement to revenue officials were legally sufficient to establish that Imam Bakhsh was Shia.
On reconsideration, the High Court ruled in favor of the nephews. It held that the documents were genuine and executed by Imam Bakhsh well before the family dispute arose, making them reliable. It found that mere oral testimony from witnesses was not enough to prove someone's faith, but that written statements made by the deceased himself during his lifetime, along with his widow's statement recorded by revenue authorities, were legally sufficient evidence under the law of evidence. The court also clarified that a person's own declarations, family background, and conduct during life are more reliable indicators of religious faith than events after death, such as funeral prayers. The appeal was accepted, restoring the property to the nephews.
یہ مقدمہ وراثتی جائیداد کے ایک خانگی تنازعے سے متعلق ہے جس کا فیصلہ ایک مرحوم شخص، امام بخش، کے مذہبی عقیدے کی بنیاد پر ہونا تھا۔ ان کے بھانجوں (بہن کی اولاد) نے شیعہ قانونِ وراثت کے تحت درج کی گئی انتقال کے ذریعے ان کی جائیداد کے وارث ہونے کا دعویٰ کیا۔ دوسرے رشتہ داروں (اطراف کے وارثین) نے اس بات کو چیلنج کیا اور دعویٰ کیا کہ امام بخش دراصل سنی تھے، جس کی صورت میں انہیں جائیداد میں کہیں زیادہ حصہ ملنا چاہیے تھا۔ ٹرائل کورٹ نے ان کا دعویٰ مسترد کر دیا، مگر پہلی اپیلٹ عدالت اور ابتدائی طور پر ہائی کورٹ نے اطراف کے وارثین کا ساتھ دیا۔ اس کے بعد سپریم کورٹ نے مقدمہ واپس بھیج دیا اور ہائی کورٹ سے کہا کہ وہ دو باتیں طے کرے: پہلی یہ کہ آیا بعض دستاویزات (ایک وصیت نامہ، ایک حلف نامہ، اور انتقال کا ریکارڈ) قانونی طور پر ثابت شدہ ہیں، اور دوسری یہ کہ آیا یہ دستاویزات اور بیوہ کا مال گزاری ح