Lahore High court rules against divorce-linked Quran oath
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has held that an offer to settle a civil dispute through a “special oath” on the Holy Quran, coupled with a condition of divorce if the oath is false, is not a lawful offer. Justice Anwaar Hussain issued the ruling allowing a civil revision filed by Muhammad Azam Khan against Akhtar Khan and others. During a pending appeal before an appellate court, the petitioner…
The Lahore High Court has dismissed an offer to settle a civil dispute through a special oath on the Holy Quran, with a condition that the oath-taker's wife would be divorced if the oath proved false. Justice Anwaar Hussain ruled that such an offer is unlawful, as it violates the Oaths Act, 1873, which permits only oaths not repugnant to justice or decency and not affecting any third person.
Even if the offer was valid, the respondent's acceptance was not absolute, as the petitioner had expressed his intention to withdraw it during the same proceedings. The court noted that the order sheet did not establish the timing of the petitioner's refusal and found that the respondents' willingness to take the oath did not constitute a valid acceptance.
The judge set aside the appellate court's decision and directed that the appeal be decided on its merits without the special oath being binding on the petitioner.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
