Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that a man cannot marry the sister of his former wife during her iddat period.
Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh from the province’s high court issued this order while hearing a case filed by Sabir Ali, who in August 2023, accused his brother-in-law, Musawir Hussain, of having two sisters as his wives.
Hussain claimed that he married his wife’s sister nine days after divorcing his wife, reports The Express Tribune.
In a 11-page long verdict, Justice Sheikh elaborated that according to Islamic jurisprudence and the country’s law, a man cannot marry two sisters simultaneously.
Resultantly, the court ruled that marrying the sister of one’s former wife before the completion of the iddat of his first wife is equivalent to simultaneously marrying two sisters. It is because a woman remains married to a man until the completion of the iddat period, as per Islamic jurisprudence and the decisions of the Federal Sharia Court.
The verdict also pointed out that during the investigation, Musawir Hussain did not provide authenticated documents regarding his divorce.
The court declared that marrying the sister of one’s former wife before the completion of the iddat period of the first wife would be punishable.
It is mandatory for the husband and wife to separate as soon as they become aware of the invalid marriage. If they fail to do so, it is the responsibility of the judge to annul their marriage, the court noted.
