Ex-husband sentenced to 80 lashes of whip for falsely accusing wife of adultery

Okara: A sessions court on Friday sentenced a man to 80 lashes for falsely accusing his ex-wife of adultery and denying the paternity of his daughter.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rana Khalil Ahmad Khan awarded the punishment to the convict, Muhammad Boota, after finding him guilty under the offence of qazf (false accusation of adultery) in accordance with Sharia law.

According to court proceedings, the accused failed to prove his allegations against his wife. After reviewing the evidence and completing arguments, the court ordered 80 lashes under the Hadd punishment for qazf.

The man had earlier accused his wife of immoral conduct and declared their daughter illegitimate. However, during the hearing, he retracted his statements and acknowledged the child as legitimate.

The case was filed by the woman under the Hudood Ordinances, which prescribe 80 lashes as punishment for anyone found guilty of making false accusations of adultery.

In its verdict, the court emphasized that making baseless and serious allegations against a chaste woman is both a legal and religious offence, warranting strict punishment under the law.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the freezing of bank accounts of former Superintendent of Police (SP) Junaid Arshad for failing to provide maintenance payments to his ex-wife for their children.

The court heard a petition filed by Ayesha Subhani, who stated that her former husband had not been paying expenses for their children for several months.

The petitioner requested legal action against him for neglecting his financial responsibilities.

After reviewing the case, the court directed authorities to freeze the bank accounts of the former SP. Additionally, the court has sought a report regarding his bank accounts by April 20.