"Culture of depriving women of inheritance must end," rules SC in 26-year-old inheritance case

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa condemned the practice of denying inheritance rights to women while issuing a verdict in favour of a widow who had been deprived of her late husband's property for 26 years.

A three-member bench led by CJP Isa ruled on an inheritance dispute involving 456 kanal land in Chakwal.

The Supreme Court ordered the land to be transferred to the widow immediately and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the opposing party, with the CJP criticising them for infringing on someone's rightful share.

If the fine remains unpaid, the revenue department will recover the amount from the property, the SC said.

The apex court's head warned the offenders of the consequences in this "world and the afterlife" for producing false witnesses and fabricating testimonies.

In 1988, after Shamim Akhtar's husband Mehrban passed away, his second wife Aksar Jan's nephews claimed ownership of the land, asserting that it was a gift from their uncle.

The dispute dragged on in court for two and a half decades before the SC's verdict finally resolved it, awarding property rights to the rightful owner.

"The culture of depriving women of their inheritance must end," CJP Isa said while expressing disapproval of the prolonged duration of the case due to unnecessary complications.