PLJ 2012
Islamabad
140
Present:
Shaukat
Aziz
Siddiqui
, J.
Mst
. ADEELA BIBI and another--Petitioners
versus
STATE and 4 others--Respondents
W.P. No. 4222 of 2010, decided on 23.1.2012.
Constitution of
Pakistan
, 1973--
----Art. 199--Pakistan Penal Code, (XLV of 1860), S. 365-B--Quashing of FIR--Two sisters were combined in
Nikkah
--Act of accused was totally against norms of society--Accused contracted marriage with each other just after 40 days of asserted divorce, which
iddat
period of first wife i.e. real sister of accused--Question of--Conjunction of two sisters during subsistence of marriage of first sister and marriage with second sister during
iddat
period of first sister was placed at same footing--Determination--Courts always cognizance of offence smelled out from contents of FIR and not of a particular section inserted by police on face of FIR and once Court is cognizant of the matter, it has to proceed in accordance with law--If some other cognizable offence spells out from the facts, then High Court is not bound by offences inserted by police and law has to take its course--High Court was not inclined to exercise constitutional jurisdiction as normal procedure of law is not to be deflected by exercise of constitutional jurisdiction--Petition was dismissed. [Pp. 147 & 156] A, D & E
Islamic Jurisprudence--
----Before expiry of
iddat
,
talaq
is not effective. [P. 147] B
Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 (VIII of 1961)--
----S. 7--
Talaq
--Substantive as well as procedural law regarding
talaq
--
Talaq
is not effective until expiry of ninety days and in case of pregnant women till delivery, whichever is earlier. [P. 154] C
Raja
Tahir
Masood
, Advocate for Petitioner.
Raja
Rizwan
Abbasi
, Advocate for Respondent No. 5.
Mr.
Rehan
-
ud
-Din
Khan,
learned standing counsel for State.
Date of hearing: 23.1.2012.
Judgment
Through instant constitutional petition,
Adeela
Bibi
and
Wajid
Hussain
, petitioners have sought
quashment
of FIR No. 231, dated 22.07.2010, offence under Section 365-B PPC, registered at Police Station
Koral
, Islamabad, registered on the complaint of one Abdul
Qayyum
, father of
Mst
.
Adeela
Bibi
(Petitioner No. 1).
2. The prosecution story, in brief, as depicted from the FIR is that the complainant informed the police on 22.07.2010 that he is engaged in the business of selling milk and a resident of Gora-mast, District Islamabad. On 21.7.2010 his daughter namely
Mst
.
Adeela
Bibi
was found missing from the house. On further query, jewelry items and considerable cash was also found missing. Subsequently, it revealed that
Wajid
Hussain
, (Petitioner No 2) has enticed away his daughter for purpose of
Zina
in connivance with co-accused
Azhar
Mehmood
. During the course of investigation it revealed that the real sister of the Petitioner No. 1, namely
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
, is the wife of the Petitioner No. 2, with whom the Petitioner No. 1,
Mst
.
Adeela
Bibi
has contracted marriage.
3. The prayer for
quashment
of the FIR has been made on the ground that out of a strong liking for Petitioner No. 2,
Mst
.
Adeela
Bibi
,
Petitioner
No. 1 has contracted marriage with him, with her free will, without any element of force, coercion or intimidation. It is maintained that the registration of FIR is tainted with mala fide, ulterior motives and in order to coerce, pressurize and humiliate the petitioners. Along with the petition, a
Nikahnama
Bearing No. 669 dated 22.07.2010, purportedly registered at UC-30,
Chah
Sultan,
Rawalpindi
has also been appended as a proof of marriage. Column No. 21 of the said
Nikahnama
finds it mention that "first wife has been divorced". In order to substantiate the factum of
talaq
a
Talaqnama
/Divorce Deed dated 11.06.2010 has also been annexed with the petition. In the said deed Petitioner No. 2 admitted to have married with the real sister of Petitioner No. 1 namely
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
daughter of Abdul
Qayyum
(complainant) in the month of April, 2010 and through the said instrument contended to have pronounced divorce upon
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
due to estranged relations, on 11.06.2010 i.e. just within three months of marriage.
4. Although the factum of marriage between the petitioners was asserted in the petition with vehemence, however, on account of the rather serious nature of the allegations leveled against the petitioners, I, before going into the legal and factual issues raised before me, considered it just and appropriate to examine the petitioners in terms of provisions of Order X, Rule 2 of the CPC. On 19.01.2012 both the petitioners appeared before the Court they approved and re-affirmed the factum of their marriage. The I.O. was also directed to verify the Entry No. 669 dated 22.07.2010 at UC 30,
Chah
Sultan,
Rawalpindi
, regarding registration
Nikahnama
of the petitioners, which he reported to be duly registered.
5. Learned counsel for the petitioner while referring to above mentioned factual aspects contends that the complainant did not mention in the FIR the factum that the Petitioner No. 2 was his son-in-law which shows his mala fide; that the ingredients to constitute offence under Section 365-B PPC are missing, more particularly, in view of statement of alleged
abductee
; that local police in league with the complainant lodged the frivolous FIR.
6. Learned counsel for the respondent assisted by the learned Standing Counsel vehemently opposed the petition and submits that according to the statement of
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
, the first wife of Petitioner No. 2, she has been residing with her husband till 21.07.2010; that two sisters have been combined in the
Nikkah
of Petitioner No. 2; that from the facts and circumstances of the case offence under Section 493-A PPC is made out; that act of the petitioners is totally against the norms of the society; that
challan
of the case has already been submitted.
7. After hearing the learned counsel of the parties at length and going through relevant record of this case with their able assistance I have observed that this case involves some important issues. It is an admitted position on record that the marriage of the Petitioner No. 2 with elder sister of Petitioner No. 1, i.e.
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
, was solemnized on 21.04.2010. The Petitioner No. 2 contended to have divorced her on 11.06.2010. The record reveals that a copy of the Divorce Deed sent to Union Council
Girja
, District Rawalpindi on 30.06.2010 but the same was returned by the said Union Council with the objection that the divorcee
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
was not resident of the said UC. Thereafter, the same was referred to Union Council
Koral
, District Islamabad on 02.07.2010, where the divorcee
Mst
.
Shahida
Parveen
is stated to be residing. Be that as it may, but the fact remains, that the petitioners contracted marriage with each other on 22.07.2010, just after 40 days of asserted divorce, which is the
Iddat
period of first wife, i.e. the real sister of Petitioner No. 1. Now the questions for determination before this Court are that what is the status of successive marriage with the real sister of first wife during her
Iddat
period? And whether any criminal consequences flow from such marriage if contracted?
8. Before dwelling upon the above propositions, I deem it necessary to explain the classes of women who are prohibited to a man and marriage with them is unlawful in the light of injunctions of Holy Quran, which are as follows:--
Surah
Al-
Baqarah
, Chapter-2, Verse-221:
Do not marry unbelieving women until they believe: a slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though she allure you. Nor marry (your girls) to Unbelievers until they believe: a slave man who believes is better than an Unbeliever even though he allure you. Unbelievers do (but) beckon you to the Fire. But Allah beckons by His Grace to the Garden (of Bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His Signs clear to mankind: that they may receive admonition.
Surah
Al-
Nisa
, Chapter-5, Verse-22:
And marry not women whom your fathers married - except what is past: it was shameful and odious - an abominable custom indeed.
Surah
Al-
Nisa
, Chapter-5, Verse-23:
Prohibited to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, daughters, sisters; father's sisters, mother's sisters; brother's daughters, sister's daughters; foster-mothers (who gave you suck), foster-sisters; your wives' mothers; your step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom ye have gone, no prohibition if ye have hot gone in; (those who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your loins; and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except for what is past; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Surah
Al-
Nisa
, Chapter-5, Verse-24:
Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: thus hath Allah ordained (prohibitions) against you: except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property, desiring chastity, not lust. Seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, ye agree mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-Knowing All-Wise.
Surah
Al-
Nisa
, Chapter-5, Verse-25:
If any of you have not the means wherewith to wed free believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess: and Allah hath full knowledge about your faith. Ye are one from another: wed them with the leave of their owners, and give them their dowers, according to what is reasonable: they should be chaste, not lustful, nor taking paramours: when they are taken in wedlock, if they fall into shame, their punishment is half that for free women. This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin; but is better for you that ye practice self-restraint. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Surah
Al-
Baqarah
, Chapter-2, Verse-228:
Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three monthly periods. Nor is it lawful for them to hide what Allah hath created in their wombs, if they have faith in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands have the better right to take them back in that period, if they wish for reconciliation. And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage) over them. And Allah is
Exalted
in Power, Wise.
Surah
Al-
Baqarah
, Chapter-2, Verse-230:
So if a husband divorces his wife (irrevocably), he cannot, after that, remarry her until after she has married another husband, and he has divorced her. In that case there is no blame on either of them if they reunite; provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allah. Such are the limits ordained by Allah which He makes plain to those who understand.
Surah
Al-
Nisa
.
Chapter-5.
Verse-3:
If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess.
That will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.
From the above quoted verses of the Holy Quran, 19 classes of women emerge against whom there is an express prohibition. These set of classes have very exhaustively been enumerated in a Division Bench judgment of the honorable Lahore High Court passed in case of
Iftikhar
Nazir
Ahmed Khan and others versus
Ghulam
Kibria
and others (PLD 1968 Lahore 587). The opinion of the Court was authored by his lordship Mr. Justice Muhammad
Akram
, J (the then he was). I feel pleasure to borrow a passage from the said judgment to elucidate my point:--
"There are in all 19 classes of women who are prohibited to a man and a marriage with them is unlawful. They are as under:--
(
i
) Mothers; (ii) Daughters; (iii) Sisters; (iv) Father's sister; (v) Mother's sister; (vi) Brother's daughter; (vii) Sister's daughter; (viii) Foster-mother; (ix) Foster-sister; (x) Mother-in-law; (xi) Wives' daughters (step-daughters); (xii) Son's wives; (xiii) father's wife (step-mother); (xiv) TWO SISTERS IN CONJUNCTION: (xv) Married women; (xvi) Idolatress (
Mushrikat
); (xvii) One's thrice divorced wife; (xviii) A woman in
Iddat
(probation); (xix) More than four wives. In legal terminology they are generally called "
Muharramat
" (Women forbidden in marriage).
The prohibitions in the
Nikkah
are of two kinds perpetual and temporary. Broadly speaking the perpetual prohibition against marriage arises on account of consanguinity, fosterage and affinity. In these cases the prohibition is absolute and eternal. But the temporary and relative prohibition arises from some impediment in the way of the marriage which is not permanent in its nature and the obstacle is liable to be removed.
Fatawa
-e-
Kazi
Khan (Pages 167-169) in the "Chapter on
Muharramat
" (Women forbidden to be married), has dilated upon this broad division into the two classes of women; mo-
abada
(permanently prohibited) and
ghair
-mo-
abada
(temporarily prohibited) women in marriages.
In all there are seven classes of women falling in this last category
ghair
-mo-
abada
(temporarily prohibited women). The interdict against the marriage with them is not perpetual. The temporary prohibitions are against (
i
) exceeding the number of wives allowed by law; (ii) conjunction of two sisters; (iii) conjunction of a free woman and a slave girl; (iv) marriage with an idolatress; (v) marriage with an other's wife; (vi) marriage with an other's
moattada
(in the
Iddat
of another) (vii) conjunction of two such females as could not have intermarried, if one of them was a male."
9. There is a consensus amongst Muslim jurists that the conjunction of two sisters is
Haram
, an act of sin of highest order and falls within prohibited degree. However, a difference has arisen as to whether such marriage is
Batil
(void
ab
-initio, nugatory) or
Fasid
(invalid, vicious and defective)? Majority of the
Hanafi
jurists believe that such marriage is
Fasid
. This distinction between
Batil
and
Fasid
leaves some material impacts on the consequences of such marriage, civil as well as criminal. Civil liabilities are not the subject of instant petition; therefore, same are left to be discussed at some other appropriate time. However, regarding criminal liability arising out of such marriage, most of the
Hanafi
jurists, including Imam Abu
Hanifa
(R.A), are of the opinion that it does not call for infliction of punishment of
Hadd
however,
they are unanimous that in view of its serious repercussion it has to be dealt seriously and
Tazir
must to be inflicted. I shall revert to this discussion a little later.
10. Now, I advert to another important question for determination before me that whether conjunction of two sisters during subsistence of marriage of first sister and the marriage with the second sister during
Iddat
period of the first sister is placed at the same footing or there exists some difference between the two?
It is well settled proposition of Islamic Jurisprudence that before expiry of
Iddat
,
Talaq
is not effective. The commands of Allah Almighty as ordained in the Holy Quran are very clear, lucid and plain in this regard. It is mandated in Chapter No. 65, Verse No. 1,
Surah
Al-
Talaq
:
"O Prophet! When ye do divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed periods, and count (accurately) their prescribed periods: and fear Allah your Lord: and turn them not out of their houses, nor shall they (themselves) leave, except in case they are guilty of some open lewdness, those are limits set by Allah: and any who transgresses the limits of Allah, does verily wrong his (own) soul: thou
knowest
not if perchance Allah will bring about thereafter some new situation."
The prohibition regarding expelling the women during the
Iddat
by the husband or express ban upon the women of her leaving the house of the husband herself, during such period are manifestly speaking that after co-habitation and pronouncement of
Talaq
the women does not relieved of the contract of marriage until the
Iddat
period prescribed by the injunctions of Holy Quran and
Sunnah
is expired. Therefore, there is no difference between the
Moattada
(woman observing
Iddat
) and the women still in
Nikkah
as both of them are considered to be bind by the contract of marriage. One of the great classical authorities on
Tafseer
, Imam Muhammad
ibn
Ahmed
Qurtubi
(died 671 AH) in his famous Al-Jami al-
Ahkam
al-Qur'an commonly known as
Tafseer
-e-
Qurtubi
, while interpreting this verse has said:
Similar view has been expounded by
Ibn
Kaseer
in
Tafsir
al-Qur'an al-
Azim
, popularly
Tafsir
ibn
Kaseer
:--
While interpreting this verse,
Sayyid
Abul
Ala
Maududi
in his famous
Tafheem
-
ul
-Qur'an has made a lengthy discussion. However, the
Hanafi
view, in this regard, has been explained by him as follows:--
"She is entitled to both lodging and maintenance. This is the opinion of
Umar
, Abdullah bin
Masud
, Ali bin Husain (Imam
Zain
-al-
Abidin
),
Qadi
Shuraih
and Ibrahim
Nakhai
. The same has been adopted by the
Hanafis
.
and
the same is also the viewpoint of Imam
Sufyan
Thauri
and
Hasan
bin
Saleh
. This is supported by the
Hadith
of
Daraqutni
in which Abdullah bin Jabir reports that the Prophet (peace
be
upon him) said: The woman who has been divorced thrice has a right to lodging and maintenance during the waiting-period. This is further supported by those traditions in which it has been reported that
Umar
had rejected the
Hadith
of Fatimah
bint-Qais
, saying: We cannot abandon the Book of Allah and the
Sunnah
of our Prophet (peace be upon him) on the word of a woman. This shows that the
Sunnah
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the knowledge of
Umar
must be that such a woman is entitled to both maintenance and lodging. Furthermore in a tradition from Ibrahim
Nakhai
there is the explanation that
Umar
rejecting the
Hadith
of Fatimah
bint-Qais
, had said: I have heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say that such a woman has a right to lodging as well as to maintenance. The first argument that Imam Abu
Bakr
al
Jassas
has given in his discussion of this question in his
Ahkam
al-Quran is that Allah has explicitly said: Divorce them for their prescribed waiting periods. This divine command also applies to that person who might have taken his wife back after divorcing her twice in the first instance, and now he is left with only one divorce to pronounce. His second argument is: When the Prophet (peace
be
upon him) taught this method of pronouncing divorce that one should either pronounce divorce in such a period of purity in which one may not have had sexual intercourse, or in a state when the signs of a woman's being pregnant might have appeared. In this he did not make any distinction between the first, second, or final divorce. Therefore, the divine command: Lodge them (in the waiting period) where you yourselves live, will be regarded as relevant to every form of divorce. His third argument is: The maintenance and lodging of the pregnant woman, whether divorced revocable or irrevocably, is binding on the husband, and in respective the non-pregnant
revocably
divorced woman also both these rights are binding. This shows that the maintenance and lodging have not been made incumbent on the basis of pregnancy but because both are legally bound to stay in the husband's house. Now, if the same injunction be applicable to the irrevocably divorced non-pregnant woman also, there can be no reason why her lodging and maintenance should not be incumbent on the man divorcing her."
In one of the leading authorities of
Hanafi
fiqh
,
Durr
-al-
Mukhtar
, it is said:
"When a man marries a woman whilst her sister is observing her
Iddat
, arising from (even) an irreversible (or Bain) divorce (given by him) after a valid (
Saheeh
) marriage or is observing her
Iddat
arising from an invalid (
Fasid
) marriage (with him) the marriage is not valid according to us (the
Hanifites
)."
According to
Hedaya
(Translation by Charles Hamilton), one of the primary sources of
Hanafi
Fiqh
, it has been laid down:
If a man marry, a woman whom it is not lawful for him marry, and afterwards have carnal
connexion
with her, he does not incur punishment, according to Imam Abu
Hanifah
(RAA) but if he be at the time aware of illegality, he is to be corrected by a
Tazeer
, or discretionary correction. The two disciples and Imam
Shafi
' (RAA) have said that he is liable to punishment, when he marries the woman, being aware of the illegality; because as the contract has not been executed in regard to its proper subject, it is of course void; for here the woman is not a proper subject of marriage, because the proper subject of marriage; or of any other deed, is a thing which is a proper subject of the effects of such deed; now one of the effects of marriage is the legalizing of generation; but as the woman is among those who are prohibited to the man, the contract of marriage with her is consequently nugatory, in the same manner as contract of marriage between man and woman.
The argument of the Imam Abu
Hanifa
(RAA) is that the contract has taken place in regard to its proper subject as the woman is, a proper subject of marriage, because the proper subject of any deed is a thing which admits of the ends intended being obtained from it; now the end of marriage is the procreation of children, and to this every daughter of Adam is competent; the case therefore admits of the contract being engaged in with respect to all its effects, and of all its effects being obtained from it; but on account of the prohibition in the sacred text, the legalization of generation is not obtained; and such being the case error is occasioned, as error is a thing which is the appearance of a proof, and not the substance of one; and as, in the present case, the man has perpetrated an offence for which the stated punishment, or
Hadd
is not appointed,
Tazeer
, or discretionary correction, must be inflicted."
In this regard, I am also fortified by the dictum laid down by the honorable Federal
Shariat
Court of Pakistan in case of Muhammad
Arif
Versus State, reported as PLD 1982 FSC 292, wherein the instant proposition of law was under discussion. The larger bench of the
Federal
Shariat
Court
rendered a unanimous decision and the opinion of the Court was authored by one of the great scholar of his time, his lordship Mr. Justice
Malik
Ghulam
Ali (the then he was). It was held:
A quite similar view has been taken by the honorable Lahore High Court in the case of
Mst
.
Irfana
Faiz
and another Versus The State and 2 others (2006
P.Cr.LJ
199) wherein the petitioners contracted marriage just after 3 days of divorce to the real sister of the Petitioner No. 1 by her husband, Petitioner No. 2. The petitioners, therein, sought relief of
quashment
of FIR, and while dismissing the petition in
limine
the Court held:
"I am of the considered opinion that before expiry of
Iddat
,
Tallaq
is not effected and since in the present case distinguishing feature is that Petitioner No. 2 married
Mst
.
Irfana
Petitioner No. 1 who stood within the prohibited degree, before expiry of
Iddat
period, hence, I am not inclined to legalize such marriage on the touchstone of law declared by Honorable Supreme Court in the cited judgment by ignoring the distinguishing feature of present case. Even otherwise, constitutional petition being equitable/discretionary relief, same cannot be extended/ exercised when grant of such relief is immoral, unfair or against the dictates of good conscience and
fairplay
, as held in the case Secretary to the Government of Punjab Vs.
Ghulam
Nabi
PLD 2001 SC 415. To me, the marriage between the parties just three days after the alleged divorce with the real sister of the earlier wife is an unholy alliance which cannot be perpetuated by this Court through the relief sought in this constitutional petition."
11. The above mentioned lightships leave no room to hold to the contrary that such marriage is unlawful and calls for penal consequences. During the course of writing this judgment I have come across to some authorities where due to English translation of the Arabic expression "FASID" by some authors, like D. F.
Mulla
in Principles of
Muhammadan
Law, with the word "IRREGULAR" some misconceptions have arisen and the IRREGULAR MARRIAGE has been treated and taken in the same way as some "irregularity" under our procedural laws. This assumption is entirely wrong, misconceived and does not fit within the scheme of Islamic law and jurisprudence. The term FASID by no stretch can be equated to mere IRREGULARITY as employed and used under the common law. The term FASID is a quite distinct, wide and broad expression used by the Muslim legal philosophers which includes the meanings "illegal, unlawful, invalid, vicious and defective". The term FASID has its own context, perspective and meanings therefore, persons charged with the commission of offences of marriages within the prohibited degree, though the prohibition might be temporary, cannot be absolved from the penal consequences of such grave offences against the society and state, while benefitting from the connotation "irregularity".
12. Having said so, now, I advert to the position under the prevalent law of the land as envisaged under Section 7 of the MUSLIM FAMILY LAWS ORDINANCE, 1961 [ORDINANCE NO. VIII OF 1961] setting forth the substantive as well as procedural law regarding
Talaq
. Even viewing from this angle, the
talaq
is not effective until the expiry of ninety days and in case of pregnant women till delivery, whichever is earlier Section-7 reads as under:
7.
Talaq
.--(1) Any man who wishes to divorce his wife shall, as soon as may be after the pronouncement of
talaq
in any form whatsoever, give the Chairman a notice in writing of his having done so, and shall supply a copy thereof to the wife.
(2) Whoever, contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
(3) Save as provided in sub-section (5)
talaq
, unless revoked earlier, expressly or otherwise, shall not be effective until the expiration of ninety days from the day on which notice under sub-section (1) is delivered to the Chairman.
(4) Within thirty days of the receipt of notice under sub-section (1), the Chairman shall constitute an Arbitration Council for the purpose of bringing about reconciliation between the parties, and the Arbitration Council shall take all steps necessary to bring about such reconciliation.
(5) If the wife be pregnant at the time
talaq
is pronounced,
talaq
shall not be effective until the period mentioned in sub-section (3) or the pregnancy, whichever later, ends.
(6) Nothing shall debar a wife whose marriage has been terminated by
talaq
effective under his section from remarrying the same husband, without an intervening marriage with a third person, unless such termination is for the third time so effective, (emphasis supplied).
Therefore, I am constrained to hold that even the plea of sending notice to the Chairman, Union Council is of no help to the petitioners as allegedly the notice was sent on 30.06.2010 and the second marriage was contracted on 22.07.2010, just within 22 days of the notice under Section 7 of the Ordinance ibid. I am afraid that from this view the case of the petitioners is more serious, devastating and stern. Because, sending of the notice gives implication that the Petitioner No. 2 was fully aware that he was committing a criminal act and tried to shield the same.
13. This Court while dealing with such cases as the instant one cannot absolve itself from the duties cast upon it to preserve the supreme and fundamental values of our social system in which the institution of the family finds prime importance. Allah Almighty opens up
Surah
Al-
Nisa
with the following words;
"O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single Person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women; fear Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual , (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you."
This verse calls upon every Muslim to preserve the family system and correlates it to fear from Allah (
Taqwah
). From this it is apparent that institution of family is regarded as a source of all piety, peace and harmony in the society. Islam refuses to give protection to those who invade upon such a sacred institution of the society. It disdains to consider life in terms of carnal desires. It discourages to ridicule pious relations to fulfill human lusts. This hardly needs a discussion that on no account the conduct which is immoral, seditious and opposed to all canons of propriety can be approved by the Courts of law, what to talk of doing so, while exercising constitutional jurisdiction. I am mindful of the fact that technically it may not be a
Batil
(void) marriage but such type of marriage ruin the entire fiber of family life and devastating to the culture we live in. Here again, I am fortified in my view by the judgment in
Irfana
Faiz
supra, wherein while referring to the judgment of honorable Supreme Court in
Shaukat
Ali's case, 1972 SCMR 236, it is held that "the Courts do not function in vacuum and must take due notice of social and moral environment prevailing in community, such as, tendency on part of some young men to abuse provisions of law in furtherance of their illicit love affairs."
14. As for as the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioners that no offence under Section 365-B PPC is made out is concerned, suffice it to say is that, Courts always take cognizance of the offence smelled out from the contents of FIR and circumstances of the case and not of a particular section inserted by the police on the face of the FIR and once the Court is cognizant, of the matter, it has to proceed in accordance with law. Even by agreeing with the learned counsel for the petitioners that prima-facie the ingredients of offence under Section 365-B PPC may be lacking in the instant case, I am of the considered opinion that if some other cognizable offence(s) spells out from the facts and circumstances of the case, then this Court is not bound by the offences inserted by the police and the law has to take its course.
15. So far as the question that which particular offence is attracted in the peculiar circumstances of the case, the same is left for determination by the trial Court, while framing the charge as it is the exclusive jurisdiction, domain and prerogative of the trial Court, to which, it is improper for this Court to interfere at this stage.
16. As the
challan
has already been submitted, therefore, in view of the dictums laid down by the Court of apex in cases of Col. Shah
Sadiq
Vs. Muhammad
Ashiq
& others (2006 SCMR 276) and Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan and others Vs.
Mian
Asim
Fareed
and others (2006 SCMR 483), I am not inclined to exercise the constitutional jurisdiction as the normal procedure of law is not to be deflected by exercise of constitutional jurisdiction. Even otherwise, no exceptional circumstance and jurisdictional defect has been pointed out to warrant interference; hence the instant petition is dismissed, with no orders as to costs.
(R.A.)
Petition dismissedThis judgment is reproduced from a publicly available source for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If you believe this listing contains an error,
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