Time has come to recognise contribution of homemakers: Delhi HC
New Delhi (PTI): While underscoring the absence of a statutory mechanism, the Delhi High Court has said a "time has come" to recognise the role of homemakers whose contributions remain "hidden and downplayed" when it comes to ownership rights in property.
“We believe that the time has come that such contributions be taken to their meaningful conclusion as these contributions remain hidden and downplayed. However, we take note of the fact that currently, there exists no statutory basis accounting for the recognition of such contributions of homemakers for the purpose of making any determination on the ownership rights or even to quantify the value of these contributions,” a bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar said on September 11.
The order came on a woman's plea challenging a family court order rejecting her suit seeking a declaration that she will have an equal and lawful right over the suit property.
Though the high court upheld the family court’s order rejecting the woman’s plea, it suggested in time, the legislature might bring in measures to ensure contribution of homemakers were reflected meaningfully and also used to determine their property rights.
The court said one must not forget that in a vast multitude of households in the country, especially in houses where there was no assistance in terms of domestic help, the presence of a full-time homemaker permits the family to discount various other expenses that would have to be borne towards the maintenance of the home and family.
She sought being declared 50 per cent owner of the property.
The woman said a wife’s role as a homemaker enabled the husband to engage in gainful employment and contribute directly to the acquisition of family assets, and therefore, any property acquired during the marriage, whether in the name of the husband or wife, must be treated as the product of their joint efforts.
The high court clarified that mere residence of the wife in the matrimonial home cannot by itself vest her with an indefeasible right of ownership over properties standing in the husband’s name.
A legitimate and enforceable claim to the husband's property must rest on proof of meaningful and substantive contribution, and in the absence of such proof, ownership remains with the titleholder, subject of course to statutory or equitable exceptions, it said.
“A matrimonial relationship is not merely a social arrangement but a legally recognised partnership that embodies the essence and fruits of marriage. It is a joint enterprise built on the common endeavour of both spouses, whose contributions, whether financial, emotional, or domestic, are integral to the stability and welfare of the family,” the bench said.
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Pak court grants bail to PM Shehbaz's daughter and her husband in graft case
Lahore (PTI): A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted bail to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's daughter Rabia Imran and her husband Imran Yousaf in a mega corruption and money laundering case.
Judge Ashfaq Ahmed allowed the bail petitions of the couple and restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting them till May 7.
"The special court (central) Lahore granted interim pre-arrest bail to PM Shehbaz's daughter, Rabia Imran and her husband Imran Yousaf till May 7 in a mega corruption and money laundering case as the couple personally appeared before the court along with their counsel after arriving from the UK, where they had gone in 2022 to evade arrest," a court official said.
Last week, an accountability court had suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued against the couple in the multi-billion corruption case, related to the Punjab Saaf Pani Company case.
The accountability court had issued perpetual warrants for their arrest in 2022 during the tenure of the Imran Khan government.
The PM's daughter and her husband had fled to the UK in 2022, and the court subsequently had declared them proclaimed offenders.
Interestingly, the country's anti-graft body -- National Accountability Bureau (NAB) -- that had instituted the multi-billion corruption case against the couple told the accountability court that it has no objection if the court suspends their warrants.
PM Shehbaz was also nominated in this corruption case but has been acquitted because of a lack of evidence.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has consistently alleged that the acquittal of PM Shehbaz and other ruling coalition members in various mega corruption cases is the result of a "compromised judiciary" and a "NAB-PMLN nexus" (referring to a perceived alliance between the NAB and the military-backed government).
His party has claimed these acquittals represent the "demise of justice" and has accused the judiciary of acting as a "silent accomplice" to state-backed political terrorism.
Khan was ousted from power in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion. Subsequently, he was arrested in August 2023 and has been in jail in multiple cases since then.
