Pakistani court fines man for demanding gifted land back from wife

LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on a man for demanding the return of property given to his wife as a gift.

The court ruled that it was reprehensible to drag the mother of his children and the sick wife in the courts without cause.

Justice Shahid Waheed passed the orders while dismissing a civil revision filed by Muhammad Riaz, resident of Mandi Bahauddin, for recovery of land gifted by him to his wife in 1995.

As per judgement issued here on Tuesday, the petitioner through his plea submitted that he approached a trial court for the recovery of 56 kanals land gifted by him to his wife in 1995. He submitted that the trial court dismissed his plea. He pleaded with the court to set aside the verdict of the trial court and issued directions for transfer of property on his name.

He claimed that his wife got the property transferred in her name through fraud and conspiracy. The petitioner made the Collector, Tehsildar, Patwari and his wife a party in Civil Revision.

The court ruled that the petitioner could not prove the allegations of conspiracy, fraud and collusion. The petitioner voluntarily and consciously gave the land to his wife as a gift but the acquisition of the land 16 years after the transfer of the land to the wife is malicious, it added. The judgment further stated that it was reprehensible for the petitioner to drag the mother of his children and his sick wife to the courts. The court dismissed the civil revision, ordering the petitioner to pay a fine of hundred thousand rupees.