Bridal Gold Jewellery Belongs Solely to the Bride, Supreme Court Rules

In a detailed judgement, the Supreme Court elaborated that gold ornaments gifted to a bride by her parents or relatives for her exclusive use are her absolute property. The court declared that neither the husband nor his family can legally claim these gifts.

The ruling, authored by Justice Shakeel Ahmad, stated that retaining such jewellery amounts to an illegal deprivation of a wife’s proprietary rights. The judgement empowers family courts to order the recovery of a bride’s property.

The court observed that jewellery gifted to a bride often constitutes her financial security and economic autonomy. “Any unauthorised retention, deprivation or misappropriation of such property by the husband or his family amounts to unlawful withholding of the wife’s proprietary rights,” the judgement read.

The decision was issued by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi. The bench was hearing an appeal by a husband, Ghulam Habib, against a Lahore High Court decision from October 27, 2025, that had ordered the return of gold ornaments to his wife, Shazia.