{
  "id": 6219759,
  "title": "Supreme Court upholds Bait-ul-Mal aid for 2 Hindu girls",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/supreme-court-upholds-bait-ul-mal-aid-for-2-hindu-girls",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T03:00:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2028308/supreme-court-upholds-bait-ul-mal-aid-for-2-hindu-girls"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld a Sindh High Court order directing the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal to provide monthly financial support to two Hindu minor girls. The Court maintained that the institution should register the minors as beneficiaries and pay each of them Rs10,000 per month, with a 10 per cent annual increase until their marriage. The decision was made despite the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal challenging the order, arguing that the minors' paternal grandfather was not personally liable for their maintenance. The Court acknowledged the high court's concern for the welfare of the minors but laid down a framework for future cases, stating that the court should refer such cases to the Bait-ul-Mal if the circumstances warrant it. The controversy arose after the foundation challenged the December 1, 2022, order, which held that the minors' grandfather, Ram Raj, was not personally liable for their maintenance under family law. However, the high court directed the Bait-ul-Mal to register the minors as regular beneficiaries and pay each of them monthly maintenance. The case stemmed from the fact that Shrimati Reeta, a Hindu woman, married Ravi Kumar in 2012 and gave birth to two minor daughters, Jasika and Sanika. After Ravi Kumar's suicide in 2017, Shrimati Reeta sought maintenance for the minors from their paternal grandfather, Ram Raj. Ram Raj, who was aged and infirm, lacked an independent source of income and lived in a charitable shelter. The Supreme Court observed that in cases where the legal question at hand does not necessarily resolve the underlying predicament of the parties, courts may seek the assistance of a state institution, such as the Bait-ul-Mal, to address the issue.",
  "summary": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2028256",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Express Tribune - Pakistan",
        "title": "SC upholds Bait-ul-Mal support for Hindu girls",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/sc-upholds-bait-ul-mal-support-for-hindu-girls",
        "published": "2026-09-07T17:51:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "SC upholds Bait-ul-Mal aid for Hindu girls",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/sc-upholds-bait-ul-mal-aid-for-hindu-girls",
        "published": "2026-09-08T02:37:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}