A three-member Supreme Court bench fined a man Rs300,000 for depriving his sisters of their inheritance, dismissing his ‘frivolous petition.’
“The petitioner’s dishonest tactics justify the dismissal with a fine of Rs300,000, which must be paid equally to the respondents deprived of their rightful shares,” the court ruled on Tuesday.
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Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan heard the case.
The ruling also noted that the respondents are entitled to claim mesne profits for any delay in following the agreed ‘Consent/Joint Statement.’
The case involves the estate of Sarfraz Ahmad Khan, who passed away in 2010, leaving behind five sons, five daughters, a widow, and a house in Rawalpindi.
When the petitioner’s sisters claimed their inheritance, he initially agreed to evaluate the property and pay their shares per Sharia law. However, after the property was assessed, he reneged on his commitment and challenged the signed ‘Consent/Joint Statement’ in the High Court.
The High Court ruling highlighted that the petitioner, when questioned, admitted he could read and write, undermining his claim that he didn’t understand the document he signed.
The petitioner also filed a ‘Suit for Partition, Declaration, Specific Performance and Permanent Injunction’ two months after his sisters claimed their inheritance.
The court ruled that the suit had no bearing on the estate and couldn’t prevent the legal heirs from claiming their shares, emphasizing that the inheritance rights of vulnerable members of society, including women, must be protected. The ruling condemned the practice of using pending litigation as a tactic to deny rightful inheritance.
