The Lahore High Court has ruled that a husband who contracts another marriage without the permission of his first wife becomes immediately liable to pay her full dower, along with maintenance and dowry-related payments.
Justice Abid Hussain Chatha issued the verdict while deciding a petition filed by Mehnaaz Saleem, modifying lower court decisions. The court directed the husband to pay Rs. 1,000,000 as dower, Rs. 15,000 per month in maintenance until the effective date of divorce with a 10 percent annual increase from 2021, and the value of dowry items as assessed by the court.
Earlier, a family court had ordered payment of the dower in installments and awarded Rs. 1,005,000 for dowry items. However, a sessions court later set aside the dower and maintenance and reduced the dowry amount to Rs. 400,000. The petitioner challenged that decision before the high court.
The high court noted that the husband had entered additional marriages without the first wife’s consent and had removed her from the house. It also found that his claim of verbal divorce did not meet legal requirements, meaning the marriage remained valid and maintenance remained payable.
The court held that failure to obtain permission for another marriage makes the husband immediately responsible for full payment of dower and related financial obligations.