The Lahore High Court has granted interim bail to a man accused by his wife of fraud for allegedly selling a vehicle she said was given as dowry.
Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa issued the order on the bail petition of Muhammad Umair Riaz, who is facing a case filed by his wife over the disputed car.
According to the court order, the vehicle remained registered in the wife’s name, although it was being used by the husband. The petitioner argued that the case was rooted in a family dispute and said his wife had already approached a family court for the recovery of dowry items, where the same vehicle had also been listed.
The court noted that the complainant herself had described the car as a dowry item in the family court proceedings, but did not disclose those pending civil proceedings in the FIR lodged against her husband.
Justice Bajwa observed that the matter appeared to stem from deteriorating marital relations rather than clear criminal intent. The court further noted that the husband had joined the investigation and cooperated with the authorities.
The order also said there was nothing on record at this stage to show dishonest intention on the part of the accused. Since the vehicle was still registered in the wife’s name and the dispute was already part of family court proceedings, the court granted interim bail to the petitioner.
