Maintenance of minor enhanced 5000 to 25000 due to education expenses.
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| Maintenance |
بچوں کا خرچہ۔ باپ تعلیمی اخراجات اٹھانے کا بھی ذمہ دار ھے۔سپریم کورٹ نے بچی کا خرچہ پانچ ھزارسے پچیس ھزار کر دیا۔
**حقائق کا جائزہ**
2. درخواست گزار (قدرت اللہ) اور جواب دہندہ نمبر 3 (مسز شمع نیاز) کی شادی 25.03.2000 کو ہوئی، جس سے جواب دہندہ نمبر 4 (مسز قرت العین) پیدا ہوئی۔ تعلقات کے بگڑنے کی وجہ سے ان کی علیحدگی ہوگئی۔ جواب دہندہ نمبر 3 نے چھوٹے بچے کی نگہداشت کے لیے ایک مقدمہ دائر کیا، جو 10.04.2007 کو 1000 روپے ماہانہ اور 10% سالانہ اضافہ کے ساتھ منظور ہوا۔ 11.03.2020 کو نگہداشت کے اخراجات میں اضافے کے لیے ایک مقدمہ دائر کیا گیا، جسے 08.07.2021 کو 5000 روپے ماہانہ کے ساتھ 10% سالانہ اضافہ کے ساتھ منظور کیا گیا۔ اس کے بعد اپیل دائر کی گئی، اور 18.12.2021 کو رقم بڑھا کر 25000 روپے ماہانہ کر دی گئی۔ درخواست گزار نے اس بڑھوتری کے خلاف رٹ درخواست دائر کی، جو 30.11.2022 کو مسترد کر دی گئی۔
**فریقین کی دلائل**
3. درخواست گزار نے دلیل دی ہے کہ ان کی واحد آمدنی پنشن ہے جو 60,000 روپے ماہانہ ہے، اور ان کی دوسری شادی سے بھی ذمے داریاں ہیں۔ اس وجہ سے مقرر کردہ نگہداشت کی رقم ان کی مالی استطاعت سے باہر ہے اور اپیلیٹ کورٹ نے اضافہ کی وجہ بتانے میں ناکامی کا الزام
عائد کیا ہے۔
4. جواب دہندہ نمبر 3 نے دفاع کیا ہے کہ بڑھائی گئی رقم جواب دہندہ نمبر 4 کی COMSATS یونیورسٹی میں تعلیم کے لیے ضروری ہے۔
**"نگہداشت" کی اصطلاح کا جائزہ**
6. پاکستانی قوانین میں "نگہداشت" کی کوئی مخصوص تعریف نہیں دی گئی۔ تاریخی طور پر، نگہداشت میں کھانا، کپڑا، اور رہائش شامل ہے، لیکن اس میں دیگر ضروری اخراجات بھی شامل ہو سکتے ہیں، جیسے کہ تعلیم، جو *ارسلان ہمایوں* کیس میں تسلیم شدہ ہے۔
**اسلامی قانون کے تحت نگہداشت کا قانونی فریم ورک**
11. اسلامی قانون کے تحت، "نفقہ" (نگہداشت) زندگی کے تمام ضروریات کو شامل کرتا ہے، بشمول بچوں کی تعلیم، جو قرآن سے ماخوذ ہے۔
**بین الاقوامی قانون کے تحت نگہداشت کا قانونی فریم ورک**
15. بچوں کے حقوق کو اقوام متحدہ کی کنونشن آن دی رائٹس آف چلڈرن (UNCRC) میں تسلیم کیا گیا ہے، جسے پاکستان نے 1990 میں دستخط کیا تھا، اور اس کے تحت بچوں کے لیے معیاری زندگی اور تعلیم کی ضمانت دی گئی ہے۔
**تجزیہ اور نتیجہ**
20. نگہداشت میں تعلیمی اخراجات کو شامل کرنا معقول ہے۔ جواب دہندہ نمبر 4 کی تعلیم کے لیے مقررہ رقم ضروری ہے، اور درخواست گزار کی پنشن کے علاوہ دیگر آمدنی بھی ہے۔ اپیلیٹ کورٹ کا فیصلہ بجا اور ثبوتوں سے ہم آہنگ ہے۔
23. سپریم کورٹ عموماً متفقہ فیصلوں میں مداخلت نہیں کرتی جب تک کہ وہ غیر معقول، بے بنیاد، یا تخیلاتی نہ ہوں۔ درخواست گزار نے کسی بھی قسم کی غلطی یا خلاف ورزی ثابت نہیں کی۔
**نتیجہ**
25. یہ درخواست بے بنیاد ہے اور مسترد کی جاتی ہے۔ اجازت مسترد کی جاتی ہے۔
**جج**
**ج**
Must read judgement
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN
(Appellate Jurisdiction)
PRESENT:
Mr. Justice Sardar Tariq Masood
Mr. Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan
Mr. Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi
Civil Petition No.8-L of 2023
(Against the order dated 30.11.2022 of the Lahore High Court, Lahore passed
in W.P.No.3332 of 2022)
Qudrat Ullah Petitioner
Versus
Additional District Judge, Renala Khurd District Okara etc.
…Respondent(s)
…
For the Petitioner(s) : In person
(via video link from Lahore)
For Respondents 3 & 4 :
In person
(via video link from Lahore)
Date of hearing :
25.01.2024
…
JUDGMENT
Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, J.- Through this petition filed under
Article 185(3) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, 1973, the petitioner has called in question the order
dated 30.11.2022 passed by the Lahore High Court whereby writ
petition filed by him was dismissed.
FACTUAL MATRIX
2. Succinctly, facts of the case leading to filing of this
petition are that the marriage between the petitioner (Qudrat Ullah)
and Respondent No.3 (Mst. Shama Naheed) took place on
25.03.2000. Out of the said wedlock, Respondent No.4 (Mst.
Qurat-ul-Ain) was born. However, on account of strained relations,
the marriage could not remain intact and they parted their ways.
Respondent No.3 instituted a suit for recovery of
maintenance for her minor daughter/respondent No.4, when she
was six months old, in the Court of Family Judge, Renala Khurd,
Civil Petition No.8-L of 2023
-: 2 :-
which was decreed vide judgment and decree dated 10.04.2007 at
the rate of Rs.1000/- per month with 10% annual increase.
Subsequently, on 11.03.2020 Respondent No.3 filed a Family Suit
No. 157-JFC-2020 for enhancement of maintenance amount. That
suit was decreed on 08.07.2021 and maintenance amount was
enhanced to Rs.5000/- with 10% annual increase by the learned
Family Judge. Thereafter, respondents preferred an appeal before
the learned Additional District Judge, Renala Khurd, for further
enhancement of maintenance which too was allowed and the
maintenance amount for the Respondent No.4 was enhanced upto
Rs.25,000/- per month vide judgment and decree dated
18.12.2021.
Being aggrieved, the petitioner filed a Writ Petition
No.3332/2022 before Lahore High Court, which was dismissed
vide order dated 30.11.2022, impugned herein.
SUBMISSIONS OF PARTIES
3. Petitioner in-person contends that his only source of
income is the pension i.e. Rs. 60,000/- per month; that he has a
family from second marriage thus maintenance fixed is beyond his
means, and that Appellate Court provided no plausible reasoning
to justify such an exponential increase in the quantum of
allowance.
4. On the other hand, Respondent No.3 while defending the
impugned judgment contends that maintenance amount
determined is necessary for the continuation of the studies of the
respondent No.4 who is currently studying Engineering at
COMSATS University, and out of 8 semesters 4 semesters have
been completed.
5. We have heard the parties at length and perused the
available record.
Civil Petition No.8-L of 2023
-: 3 :-
EVALUATING THE SCOPE OF TERM “MAINTENANCE”
6. The important question that needs determination is
“whether a Muslim father is under an obligation to pay the expenses
incurred on education of his daughter/children or whether
maintenance of child includes educational expenses? In order to
answer this question, it is necessary to examine the definition of
the term "maintenance."
7. In Pakistan, issues related to child maintenance are dealt
with by the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961, and the West
Pakistan Family Courts Act, 1964. However, these laws do not
provide a specific definition for "maintenance." For better
understanding it is suitable to rely on the dictionary meaning of
the term.
8. The word “maintenance” is derived from Arabic word
“Nafaq” which means “to spend” and in literal sense, the word
“nafaqah” (ةَقَفَن) means what a person spends on his family. The
word “maintenance” has been defined in Black’s Law Dictionary,1
as under:
“Financial support given by one person to another.”
9. It has been defined in Section 369 of the Principles of
Muhammadan Law by D.F Mulla in following words:
“369. Maintenance defined.—“Maintenance” in this
Chapter includes food, raiment and lodging.”
Such definition of maintenance is not exhaustive. The
word "includes" is generally used in interpretation clauses in order
to enlarge the meaning of words or phrases, occurring in the body
of the Statute; and when it is so used those words or phrases must
be construed as comprehending, not only such things as they
1 Black’s Law Dictionary, 9th Edition, 200
Civil Petition No.8-L of 2023
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signify according to their natural import, but also those things
which the interpretation clause declares that they shall include.
10. In this view of the matter, it does not exclude other
necessary expenses for mental and physical well-being of a minor.
This view is also fortified by the judgment in Arslan Humayun and
another2 wherein it was held that Section 369 ibid has a wider
connotation and should be given an extended meaning, for the
purposes of social, physical, mental growth, upbringing and
wellbeing of the minor.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF MAINTENANCE - ISLAMIC LAW
11. Undeniably, the Almighty Allah is the only sustainer,
but, He has created means through which this task is
accomplished. Bearing the expenses of children is the second most
important task of the father.3
12. In Islamic law “maintenance” is termed as Nafaqah (ةَقَفَن)
and signifies all those things which are necessary to support life. It
is the legal and religious duty of a man to maintain his wife and
children. The obligation to maintain wife and children is derived
from the Holy Quran and is one of the incidences of marriage.
Verse 233 of Surah Al-Baqarah says:
“…and it is incumbent upon him who has begotten the
child to provide in a fair manner for their sustenance and
clothing.”4
Furthermore, Verse 34 of Surah An-Nisaa enjoins:
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because
God has given the one more (strength) than the other and
because they support them from their means.”
13. Thus, right of child to be maintained by the father is
ordained by Islamic law as mentioned above.
2 PLD 2013 SC 557
3 Nasr, Sayyad Hossein, Islmaic Spirituality Foundations, Crossroad,New York,
1987.page 147.
4 Holy Qur’an, 2:233
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14. Similarly, under Pakistani law, the maintenance of a
child is an obligation primarily upon the father. The Family Courts
Act 1964 and the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 (“MFLO”)
deal with the issue of maintenance of minors in Pakistan.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF MAINTENANCE- INTERNATIONAL
LAW
15. All the civilized nations of the world have recognised
that children have rights by virtue of being children. These
obligations are also erga omnes5 and have since been codified in
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989
(the “UNCRC”). UNCRC is an international treaty which sets out
the rights of children. The State of Pakistan ratified the UNCRC on
12.11.1990 with its only reservation that its Articles will be
interpreted in light of Islamic injunctions. However, in 1997, this
reservation was withdrawn, thus, ratification became absolute.
16. Article 27 of the UNCRC is reproduced below for ease of
reference;
1. States Parties recognize the right of every child to a
standard of living adequate for the child's physical,
mental, spiritual, moral and social development.
2. The parent(s) or others responsible for the child have
the primary responsibility to secure, within their
abilities and financial capacities, the conditions of living
necessary for the child's development.
3. States Parties, in accordance with national conditions
and within their means, shall take appropriate
measures to assist parents and others responsible for
the child to implement this right and shall in case of
need provide material assistance and support
programmes, particularly with regard to nutrition,
clothing and housing.
4. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to
secure the recovery of maintenance for the child
from the parents or other persons having
financial responsibility for the child, both within
the State Party and from abroad. In particular, where
the person having financial responsibility for the child
lives in a State different from that of the child, States
Parties shall promote the accession to international
5 Erga omnes means those obligations that are owed to international community
as a whole.
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agreements or the conclusion of such agreements, as
well as the making of other appropriate arrangements.
Said Article must be read with Article 3 paragraph 1 of the UNCRC,
which reads as under;
“1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken
by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of
law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the
best interests of the child shall be a primary
consideration.”
17. The concept of the “child's best interests” is not new.
Indeed, it pre-dates the Convention and was already enshrined in
the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child,6 the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
1979,7 as well as in regional instruments and many national and
international laws.8
18. When assessing and determining the best interests of a
child the obligation of the State to ensure the child such protection
and care as is necessary for his or her well-being9 should be taken
into consideration. Children’s well-being, in a broad sense includes
their basic material, physical, educational, and emotional needs,
as well as needs for affection and safety.10
19. It is in the best interests of the child to have access to
quality education, including early childhood education. All
decisions on measures and actions concerning a specific child
must respect the best interests of the child or children, with regard
to education.11
6 Declaration of Rights of Child, 1959, para.2.
7 Article 5(b) and 16(1)(d).
8 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), General comment No. 14 (2013)
on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary
consideration (art. 3, para. 1), 29 May 2013, CRC /C/GC/14, para.2.
9 UN Convention on Rights of Children, 1969, Article 3 para 2.
10 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), General comment No. 14
(2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary
consideration (art. 3, para. 1), 29 May 2013, CRC /C/GC/14,para 71.
11 Ibid., para 79.
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20. The above discussion leads us to draw a conclusion that it
would be absolutely safe to include educational expenses also
within the concept of maintenance of a child.
21. Admittedly, Respondent No.4 is the unmarried daughter of
the petitioner who is studying in COMSATS University, thus, in
order to meet her educational expenses, she requires sufficient
amount. In the Trial as well Appellate court Respondent No.3 has
sufficiently established, with cogent evidence, that besides
receiving pension, the petitioner has other sufficient sources of
income. Thus, he has the ability to pay her educational expenses.
22. In the case of Alaf Din v Mst. Parveen Akhtar,12 it has
been held that;
"in interpreting the word "maintenance" some reasonable
standard must be adopted. Whilst it is not confined merely
to food, clothing and lodging, it cannot, by any stretch of
the imagination, be extended to incorporate within it
education at higher levels ad infinitum. What is
necessary to decide in this connection is to find out what
amount of education has to be attained by the child
concerned, having regard to the status and other
circumstances of his family, to enable it to earn a complete
livelihood by honest and decent means…. what is required
is that the child must be maintained until it is in a position
to earn its own livelihood in an honest and decent manner
in keeping with its family status."
While applying the same interpretation it can be noted that
although petitioner is not bound to provide the maintenance for
education at higher levels ad infinitum however, he is duty
bound to provide maintenance to Respondent No.4 till she
completes her graduation studies and gains an employment to
support herself.
23. We have carefully examined the impugned judgment as
well as the judgment passed by the learned Judge of the Appellate
Court, that was upheld by High Court, and find that reasoning
advanced by the Appellate Court is justified and plausible. Before
12 PLD 1970 SC 75
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-: 8 :-
enhancing the maintenance amount, the Appellate Court duly
undertook expenses analysis and concluded that sum of Rs.
25,000/- is required to ensure the continuation of the studies of
the Respondent No.4. Therefore, the amount of maintenance so
granted is neither excessive nor unjustified.
24. Normally, this Court refrains from intervening in
concurrent findings unless they are unreasonable, arbitrary,
imaginative, or whimsical. Petitioner has failed to point out any
illegality or infirmity so also non-reading or misreading of evidence,
hence, no case for interference has been made out.
25. Consequently, this petition being devoid of merit is
hereby dismissed and leave is refused.
Judge
Judge
Judge
Islamabad
25 January 2024
Approved for reporting