Lahore High Court orders high-earning groom to raise haq mehar

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered a high-earning groom to increase the haq mehr from $1,000 to $10,000 based on his affordability.

LHC’s Justice Farooq Haider allowed a woman who married of her own choice to go with her husband while directing the husband to raise the dower amount.

The case was filed by the woman’s father, who was seeking the recovery of his daughter from the alleged illegal custody of her supposed husband.

After the habeas corpus petition was filed by the father, the court sent a notice to the couple, for which they were brought before the court by the local police.

During the course of the hearing, the woman responded to the court’s inquiry by stating that she was an adult and had married of her own free will. She denied charges of being abducted or threatened by her husband and, in her statement, told the court that she wanted to go with her husband and not with her father.

However, Justice Farooq Haider asked the woman’s husband about his monthly income, to which he replied that he worked in the United States and earned $2,000 (more than 5,55,000 rupees) per month.

On this, the high court said that $1,000 (more than 2,78,000 rupees) in haq mehr was insufficient and observed that the amount should be enhanced to ensure the woman’s security in the marriage.

As per the court’s direction, the bridegroom submitted an affidavit in the court setting the amount of haq mehar at 10,000 dollars. 

Additionally, the judge also disposed of the habeas corpus petition based on the father’s plea for the recovery of the woman from the alleged confinement of her husband in light of her statements.

The matters of dower and dowery have been in the legal discourse previously as well. 

On December 6, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that haq mahr must be paid by the husband whenever the wife demands it, not just in the event of divorce. Mahr is the mandatory payment or gift from the groom to the bride at the time of marriage based on his affordability. It is a fundamental part of an Islamic marriage contract and is considered the bride’s exclusive right.

Read more: ‘Mahr has to be paid whenever demanded by the wife’: Chief Justice