10/09/2026
⚖️ **A Woman’s Right to Inheritance Cannot Be Taken Away**
A recent Lahore High Court judgment highlights an important principle concerning **women’s inheritance rights and oral gifts (Hiba)**.
Sadiqa Begum was deprived of her rightful share in her father’s property after her brother claimed that their father had orally gifted the entire land to him before his death. The lower courts accepted his version, but the Lahore High Court found serious legal shortcomings in the proof of the alleged Hiba.
The Court emphasized that the beneficiary of an oral gift must prove all three essential elements: **offer, acceptance, and delivery of possession**. The relevant time, date, place, and witnesses must also be established. The beneficiary himself should have appeared as a witness where his personal knowledge of the transaction was essential.
The Court further held that possession of one co-heir over joint property cannot automatically be treated as proof of exclusive ownership against the other heirs.
Ultimately, the Lahore High Court set aside the decisions of the lower courts and **decreed Sadiqa Begum’s claim**, directing her brother to provide her rightful Shariah share along with litigation expenses.
📌 **Key Message:**
No woman should be deprived of her lawful inheritance. Denying a woman her inheritance is contrary to the principles of **Shariah, public policy, and the law**.