Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were on Saturday (July 13) acquitted by a court in the illegal marriage (iddat) case. A report by Geo News said that a district and sessions court in Islamabad accepted Khan and Bibi's pleas seeking annulment of their conviction in the case.

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were on Saturday (July 13) acquitted by a court in the illegal marriage (iddat) case. A report by Geo News said that a district and sessions court in Islamabad accepted Khan and Bibi's pleas seeking annulment of their conviction in the case. The order was announced by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka. In February, Khan and Bibi were sentenced to seven years in prison and awarded a fine of $1,798 (around PKR 500,000) after a trial court found their 'nikah' to be fraudulent as Khawar Maneka, Bushra's ex-husband, moved the court against the couple's marriage. The former PM and his wife challenged their conviction and even moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking varying relief from the court. The verdict On Saturday, Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka said that Khan and Bibi should be immediately released from jail if they were not wanted in any other case. "Both the petitions seeking the formation of a medical board and consultations with the religious scholars are hereby rejected," the district and sessions court said in its verdict, Geo News reported. Also read | Pakistani government submits details of former PM Imran Khan's living conditions in jail The court's verdict is a big relief for Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. With the Toshakhana case sentences suspended and acquittal in the cipher case, the former prime minister was incarcerated at the Adiala Jail in the Iddat case only. However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Khan and wife in a new case pertaining to Toshakhana. An overview of the case The illegal marriage case came to light when a petitioner claimed that Bibi was divorced by her former husband Maneka in November 2017 and married Khan in January 2018, even though her iddat period had not ended. Also watch | Race to Power: Pak top court grants 23 reserved seats to Imran Khan's PTI × The petitioner's plea was rejected by the district and sessions court in Islamabad. Geo News reported that later Maneka filed a complaint against the "un-Islamic marriage" of Khan and Bushra in the court of Civil Judge Qudratullah on November 25, 2023 under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. Khan and Bibi were indicted in the case on January 16 this year. Following a hearing in the Adiala Jail, the trial court reserved its verdict on February 2 and handed out seven years' imprisonment each to Imran and Bushra on February 3. (With inputs from agencies)

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi acquitted in illegal marriage case

A Singaporean couple has launched a legal challenge after authorities annulled their marriage because the husband underwent a sex change, a lawyer said Monday.

The city-state voided the marriage last year, saying the operation made their partnership a same-sex union that is illegal under Singapore law.

Singapore is a modern and vibrant society in many ways but attitudes towards homosexuality are still conservative and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the country is not yet ready for same-sex marriage.

The couple, Faith and Bryce Volta, married as man and woman in 2015, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

Faith, the husband, then underwent sex-change surgery and updated her national identity card to read "female", the paper said.

Six months later the government's Registrar of Marriages met the couple to discuss the sex change and later informed them the marriage would be annulled.&nbsp

The couple has now asked the High Court to review the decision taken by the registrar, confirmed lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, whose law firm is representing them for free.

Authorities previously cited the country's laws which state marriage is a union between a man and a woman as the reason for annulling the union.

Singapore maintains legislation dating back to British colonial rulemaking sex between men a criminal act, although it does not actively enforce the law.

Nevertheless, support for gay rights is growing due to more relaxed views among the younger generation and the large expatriate community.

The city-state voided the marriage last year, saying the operation made their partnership a same-sex union that is illegal under Singapore law

A Singaporean couple has launched a legal challenge after authorities annulled their marriage because the husband underwent a sex change, a lawyer said Monday. The city-state voided the marriage last year, saying the operation made their partnership a same-sex union that is illegal under Singapore law. Singapore is a modern and vibrant society in many ways but attitudes towards homosexuality are still conservative and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the country is not yet ready for same-sex marriage. The couple, Faith and Bryce Volta, married as man and woman in 2015, the Straits Times newspaper reported. Faith, the husband, then underwent sex-change surgery and updated her national identity card to read "female", the paper said. Six months later the government's Registrar of Marriages met the couple to discuss the sex change and later informed them the marriage would be annulled. The couple has now asked the High Court to review the decision taken by the registrar, confirmed lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, whose law firm is representing them for free. Authorities previously cited the country's laws which state marriage is a union between a man and a woman as the reason for annulling the union. Singapore maintains legislation dating back to British colonial rulemaking sex between men a criminal act, although it does not actively enforce the law. Nevertheless, support for gay rights is growing due to more relaxed views among the younger generation and the large expatriate community.

Singapore couple challenge annulment of marriage after sex change

Hyderabad city police have arrested 20 people in a fake marriage racket involved with &quot;procuring&quot;&nbsp;Indian girls for Sheikhs in the Middle East countries namely&nbsp;Oman and Qatar.&nbsp;

The city police were alerted after a tip-off from a victim.

The girl had allegedly rejected a man who had gone for an interview for marriage but the girl found the man&nbsp;&quot;too old&quot;. Even after she rejected the offer, the alleged Sheikh forced her to marry him, after which she informed the police.&nbsp;

Acting on the tip-off, the police raided two areas in Hyderabad&nbsp;and nabbed twenty people.

Hyderabad police said they nabbed 5 Oman&nbsp;nationals and Sheikhs, 3 Qatar nationals, 3 Qazis--all Indian with one being chief Qazi from Mumbai, and rest Indian brokers and middlemen.&nbsp;

According to the police, there is a big racket operating out of Hyderabad and this is only one such case.

&quot;Qazis in the racket help in making fake birth certificates to show minor girls in marriage age illegally&nbsp;and facilitate their illegal marriages, the middlemen identify poor unmarried women who can be lured, parents are convinced to participate in this exchange and these girls are assaulted by not just one but many such Sheikhs after they are taken outside India&quot;, police said.&nbsp;

The police have now announced that there will be an in-camera conference where each victim will speak about their story of cheating, divorce and sexual exploitation in order to spread awareness about the issue.

The city police were alerted after a tip-off from a girl

Hyderabad city police have arrested 20 people in a fake marriage racket involved with "procuring" Indian girls for Sheikhs in the Middle East countries namely Oman and Qatar. The city police were alerted after a tip-off from a victim. The girl had allegedly rejected a man who had gone for an interview for marriage but the girl found the man "too old". Even after she rejected the offer, the alleged Sheikh forced her to marry him, after which she informed the police. Acting on the tip-off, the police raided two areas in Hyderabad and nabbed twenty people. Hyderabad police said they nabbed 5 Oman nationals and Sheikhs, 3 Qatar nationals, 3 Qazis--all Indian with one being chief Qazi from Mumbai, and rest Indian brokers and middlemen. According to the police, there is a big racket operating out of Hyderabad and this is only one such case. "Qazis in the racket help in making fake birth certificates to show minor girls in marriage age illegally and facilitate their illegal marriages, the middlemen identify poor unmarried women who can be lured, parents are convinced to participate in this exchange and these girls are assaulted by not just one but many such Sheikhs after they are taken outside India", police said. The police have now announced that there will be an in-camera conference where each victim will speak about their story of cheating, divorce and sexual exploitation in order to spread awareness about the issue.

Watch: Hyderabad police nab 'Sheikhs' trying to illegally marry Indian girls

illegal-marriage

Illegal Marriage, News on Illegal Marriage, stories on Illegal Marriage, articles on Illegal Marriage, Illegal Marriage stories at Wion, Illegal Marriage news, Illegal Marriage latest news