Men remarrying sans first wife's consent to pay dower

LHC orders man to pay monthly allowance till marriage dissolution

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has held that a husband who contracts another marriage without the permission of his first wife is bound to immediately pay her the full amount of Haq Mehr (dower).

Justice Abid Hussain Chattha announced an eight-page judgment on a petition filed by Mehnaz Saleem, modifying the trial court's decision and directing the husband to pay Rs1 million as dower to his first wife without delay.

The court also ordered the husband to pay Rs15,000 per month as maintenance allowance until the effective date of divorce, with a 10 per cent annual increase, and to compensate her according to the assessed value of dowry articles. The dispute revolved around the main issues of payment of Haq Mehr, maintenance and return of dowry articles.

A family court had directed the husband in 2024 to pay Rs15,000 per month during the iddat period and to clear the Rs1 million dower in monthly instalments of Rs45,000.

The court had also ordered payment of Rs1,000,500 as the value of dowry articles.

Both parties had challenged the decision before a sessions court. The trial court had partially accepted the husband's appeal, setting aside the order regarding dower and maintenance and reducing the dowry compensation from to Rs400,000.

The petitioner had then approached the LHC against the trial court's ruling.

According to the petitioner, her husband had contracted third and later fourth marriage without her consent and turned her out of his home without any belongings. She contended that the husband had concealed his second marriage at the time of their nikah and that she had later discovered she was his third wife.