The Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by a man convicted of contracting a second marriage without the consent of his first wife, upholding a three-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs1 million.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum asked the petitioner’s lawyer whether the aging of a wife could be used as a valid ground for contracting another marriage.
She further questioned, “If women also start doing this, what will happen to society?”
The bench made it clear that no justification could override the legal requirement of seeking prior permission before entering into a second marriage.
According to the convict’s lawyer, the man first married in 1999 and entered into a second marriage in 2017. The court was informed that he had also filed a claim to settle matters with his first wife.
However, when Chief Justice Neelam asked whether this claim had been made before or after the second marriage, the lawyer could not provide a satisfactory response.
Sentence upheld by court
The Lahore High Court maintained the lower court’s ruling of three months’ imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1 million.
The bench observed that the convict’s lawyer failed to present any credible grounds against the sentence in the appeal.
