Supreme Court Rules Gold Jewelry Given to Bride by In-Laws Belongs Solely to Her

In a significant ruling on women’s property rights, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared that all gold jewelry gifted to a bride at the time of marriage is her exclusive personal property, and neither her husband nor her in-laws have any legal ownership over it.

The Chief Justice presided over a three-member bench, which was set up for delivering the judgment, while the detailed verdict was written by Justice Shakeel Ahmad.

Husband and In-Laws Have No Ownership Rights Over Bridal Gold

The Supreme Court’s written judgement states that the gold jewellery of the bride is not property of the husband, mother-in-law or any other family member.

The court ruled that the refusal to return the bride’s jewellery is an “unlawful deprivation of property rights” and is not allowed by law.

Family Courts Authorized to Hear Jewelry Recovery Cases

The Supreme Court also stated that a woman can approach the Family Court for the recovery of her gold jewellery and other belongings.

The ruling clarified that the Family Courts have full jurisdiction to rule on any disputes involving a wife’s personal property, such as jewelry and other valuables acquired during marriage.

Gold Gifted by Parents Also Belongs to the Bride

The court further ruled that any gold jewels given away by the parents to the bride remain her own property. The husband and his family may not claim such gifts of any kind.

Bridal Gifts Also Recognized as Bride’s Property

In another significant decision, the Supreme Court has determined all the gifts that the bride receives during the wedding are to be treated as personal property to the bride.

The court overturned the appeal over the ownership of the gold jewelry and upheld that the gold jewelry claims are legally actionable in the Family Court against the husband or mother-in-law to whom it was gifted as a wedding gift.

The historic judgment will have a positive impact on women’s rights to own property in Pakistan, as it will be clear now that bridal gold jewelry and wedding gifts are solely with the bride.