'Culture of depriving women of inheritance must end': SC orders transfer of widow’s inheritance

Apex court imposes Rs 500,000 fine on false litigants and grants inheritance to widow after 26 years of legal battles.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the immediate transfer of a widow’s inherited property after 26 years of false litigation.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 500,000 on the opposing parties for submitting false testimonies and filing bogus claims in an attempt to deprive the widow of her rightful inheritance.

A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled on a 456-kanal land dispute in Chakwal.

The case had dragged on for years due to false claims and fake witnesses produced by the opposing parties.

The court ruled that the fine must be paid within three months, failing which the revenue department will recover the amount from the property.

During the proceedings, Chief Justice Isa remarked that a simple inheritance case was made unnecessarily complex, stating, "The culture of depriving women of their inheritance must end."

He further added that the parties responsible for providing false testimonies should face legal consequences for their actions.

The case involved the widow of Mehrban, who passed away in 1998.

His nephews, from his second wife Akser Jan’s side, had falsely claimed that the land had been gifted to them.

The court's decision brings an end to the decades-long legal battle, with the Chief Justice urging the guilty parties to reflect on their actions, warning them of consequences in both this world and the next.