The Lahore High Court has ruled that if a husband marries again without the consent of his first wife, he is obliged to immediately pay her the dower (mahr) amount.
Justice Abid Hussain Chattha issued an eight-page written judgment on the petition filed by Ms. Mehnaz Saleem.
The judgment says that in 2024, the Family Court had ordered the husband, during the iddat period, to pay Rs 15,000 for expenses, Rs 1 million as mahr in monthly installments of Rs 45,000, and Rs 1,050,000 to the wife as the value of the dowry items.
Both parties had filed appeals in the Sessions Court. The trial court partially allowed the husband’s appeal, after which the petitioner approached the Lahore High Court.
According to the petitioner, the husband married another woman without her consent and forced her out of the house with just three sets of clothes. Records show that the husband had only disclosed his first marriage, in which the wife had passed away.
After the marriage, the petitioner discovered that the husband had previously married a second woman, making the petitioner the third wife.
This became the main point of dispute between the parties. The petitioner provided solid reasons for leaving the husband’s house, and there was no evidence that she left due to misconduct or disobedience.
The court ruled that if a husband marries again without permission, he is obligated to immediately pay the first wife her mahr. The purpose of this clause is to protect the wife’s financial rights and to prevent arbitrary or deceitful subsequent marriages.
