Supreme Court rules on bridal property rights

Islamabad (Lord Media): The Supreme Court has ruled that any property given to a woman at the time of marriage by her parents, relatives, husband, or in-laws for her personal use is entirely her own. The court clarified that the ownership of the property is determined not by its name but by the intent of transfer and the bride’s exclusive right. Preventing or using such property by the husband or his family is equivalent to unlawfully withholding the wife’s ownership rights, which she can reclaim through legal proceedings in a family court. This was stated in a written judgment by Justice Shakeel Ahmed during the hearing of a dowry return case. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, heard the case. The court upheld the respondent’s (wife’s) claim that her parents gifted her 87 tolas of gold jewelry at the time of marriage. The court order noted that in our social realities, jewelry given to the bride often serves as a form of financial security.