Father's property cannot be given in Haq Mehr
PLJ 2010 Lahore 122 · Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench)
This case involved a dispute between a father-in-law and his daughter-in-law over dower (haq mehr) after her husband died.
The marriage was solemnized in 2000, and the nikahnama listed gold ornaments and a house as dower for the wife. The house, however, actually belonged to the husband's father, not the husband himself. After the couple divorced and the husband later died, the wife sued for recovery of the dower, dowry articles, and maintenance for herself and her son. The family courts ruled in her favor regarding the house, dowry articles, and maintenance, though her claim for the gold ornaments was dismissed. The father-in-law challenged these rulings, arguing he never agreed to give away his own house and had not even signed the nikahnama.
The Lahore High Court held that, as a general rule, a husband cannot pledge someone else's property, such as his father's, as dower unless the father consented. However, consent need not be explicit or in writing—it can be implied from conduct. Since the father-in-law was present at the nikah, never objected when his house was listed as dower, and took no legal steps to have it removed from the nikahnama for years, the court found he had implicitly consented. The court also ruled that a grandfather is liable for his grandchild's maintenance, including past amounts, when the father is dead or unable to provide it.
The petition was dismissed, upholding the lower courts' decisions. This case matters because it clarifies how implied consent can bind a third party's property in dower arrangements and confirms grandparents' maintenance obligations to grandchildren.
یہ مقدمہ ایک سسر اور اس کی بہو کے درمیان حق مہر کے تنازعہ سے متعلق ہے جو بہو کے شوہر کی وفات کے بعد پیدا ہوا۔
نکاح 2000 میں ہوا تھا، اور نکاح نامے میں سونے کے زیورات اور ایک مکان کو بیوی کے حق مہر کے طور پر درج کیا گیا تھا۔ تاہم یہ مکان دراصل شوہر کی بجائے اس کے والد کی ملکیت تھا۔ میاں بیوی میں طلاق ہونے کے بعد اور بعد ازاں شوہر کی وفات کے بعد، بیوی نے حق مہر، جہیز کے سامان، اور اپنے اور اپنے بیٹے کے نان و نفقہ کی وصولی کے لیے مقدمہ دائر کیا۔ فیملی عدالتوں نے مکان، جہیز کے سامان، اور نان و نفقہ کے حوالے سے اس کے حق میں فیصلہ دیا، البتہ سونے کے زیورات کا دعویٰ خارج کر دیا گیا۔ سسر نے ان فیصلوں کو چیلنج کرتے ہوئے موقف اختیار کیا کہ اس نے کبھی اپنا مکان دینے پر رضامندی ظاہر نہیں کی تھی اور یہاں تک کہ نکاح نامے پر اس کے دستخط بھی موجود نہیں تھے۔
ل