📝 AI Summary — Plain-Language Overview
This is an explainer of a Lahore High Court decision from 2008 dealing with how Pakistani law treats DNA testing when a father disputes his child's legitimacy.
In this case, a mother and her minor son filed a maintenance suit against the father, who denied the child was his and asked the Family Court to order a DNA test. The Family Court refused, and the father challenged that refusal before the High Court.
The High Court dismissed the father's petition. It held that legitimacy of a child is a serious matter with far-reaching consequences and cannot be decided casually. Under Pakistani law, a child born within a lawful marriage is presumed legitimate, following the principle that the "child follows the bed." A father cannot defeat this presumption through mere denial or accusation; he must provide solid proof and credible evidence, or pursue the formal legal procedure known as Liyan (a special court process for disowning paternity), which the father in this case had not done.
Since there was no real evidence to support the father's claim that the child was illegitimate, the court ruled the child, born during the marriage, must be treated as legitimate and was entitled to maintenance from the father.
This judgment matters because it shows that Pakistani courts protect children's legitimacy strongly, requiring solid legal grounds and proper procedure—not just a father's unsupported denial or a DNA test request—before paternity can be challenged.
یہ 2008 میں لاہور ہائی کورٹ کے ایک فیصلے کی وضاحت ہے جس میں یہ معاملہ زیرِ بحث آیا کہ جب باپ اپنے بچے کی جائز پیدائش (نسب) سے انکار کرے تو پاکستانی قانون ڈی این اے ٹیسٹ کو کس نظر سے دیکھتا ہے۔
اس مقدمے میں ایک ماں اور اس کے نابالغ بیٹے نے باپ کے خلاف نان و نفقہ کا دعویٰ دائر کیا۔ باپ نے بچے کو اپنا تسلیم کرنے سے انکار کر دیا اور فیملی کورٹ سے استدعا کی کہ ڈی این اے ٹیسٹ کروانے کا حکم دیا جائے۔ فیملی کورٹ نے یہ درخواست مسترد کر دی، جس پر باپ نے اس فیصلے کو ہائی کورٹ میں چیلنج کیا۔
ہائی کورٹ نے باپ کی درخواست خارج کر دی۔ عدالت نے قرار دیا کہ بچے کی جائز پیدائش کا معاملہ ایک سنگین نوعیت کا مسئلہ ہے جس کے دور رس اثرات ہوتے ہیں، اس لیے اسے سرسری طور پر طے نہیں کیا جا سکتا۔ پاکستانی قانون کے تحت، جائز نکاح کے دوران پیدا ہونے والے بچے کو جائز تصور کیا
Generated from the full judgment text below — not a substitute for reading the actual opinion.
Status of DNA test in Pakistani law.. How a child can be determined legitimate or legal in Pakistan. Citation Name : 2008 PLD 302 LAHORE-HIGH-COURT-LAHORE Side Appellant : MUHAMMAD ARSHAD Side Opponent : SUGHRAN BIBI S. 5 & Sched.---Constitution of Pakistan (1973), Art.199---Constitutional petition---Legitimacy of child ---Presumption---Liyan, proceedings of---DNA test---Suit for recovery of maintenance was filed by mother and her minor son but petitioner (father) disowned minor as his son---Application was filed by petitioner in Family Court for DNA test of the child , which application was dismissed---Validity---Legitimacy of child entailed far reaching impact, therefore, determination of such crucial and vital issue should not be taken in cavalier manner---Accusation by petitioner or his act of disowning child born in wedlock were to be substantiated through tangible proof and credible evidence---Paternity of child born out of lawful wedlock invariably carried presumption of truth in his favour---Mere simple denial could never take away the status of legitimacy as "child follows the bed"---Every presumption was made in favour of legitimacy of the child and it was presumed to be an issue of his parent without acknowledgement or affirmation of parentage on the part of father---No evidence was available on record to substantiate the frivolous and scandalous version of petitioner with reference to accusation that child was illegitimate ---Petitioner did not have recourse to the Court of competent jurisdiction for Liyan---Minor having born out the wedlock between the parties would inevitably be deemed to be a legitimate child and was lawfully entitled to be supported and maintained by petitioner (father).-Constitutional petition was dismissed in limine.