LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued an important verdict regarding the payment of amounts and jewelry mentioned in the nikahnama after divorce.
According to reports, the court ruled that any amount or jewelry recorded in the nikahnama must be paid by the husband even after divorce.
The court stated that if the husband fails to provide the jewelry mentioned in the marriage contract, the wife is entitled to receive its market value in cash. The court upheld the family court’s decision, which had earlier ordered the husband to hand over the jewelry listed in the nikahnama to his former wife.
Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi of the Lahore High Court Multan Bench issued the verdict while hearing a petition filed by Amir Ali. The judgment stated that if money and jewelry are separately mentioned in the nikahnama, they must be paid separately, while all listed items collectively form the dower (mehr).
According to the case details, the marriage took place in 2011, and the nikahnama included Rs5,000, five tola silver, and ten tola gold as dower.
The woman claimed that after divorce, her former husband did not return the jewelry. The petitioner argued that only Rs5,000 had been paid and alleged that the gold and silver entries were fraudulently included in the nikahnama.
However, the court noted that witnesses had confirmed the nikahnama, and the petitioner himself had verified his signature. The certified copy of the nikahnama was also presented in the family court.
The court observed that the petitioner failed to prove any fraud in the document and upheld the family court’s ruling, stating that interference by the High Court is only justified if the lower court’s decision is against the law.
Ultimately, the High Court maintained the family court’s decision and ordered full payment of the dower.
