The Allahabad High Court recently said that a Muslim man can marry more than once, but only if he treats all his wives equally. The court also shared that this rule comes from the Quran and should not be misused by men for selfish reasons.

The comment was made by Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deswal during a case hearing involving a man named Furkan, who was accused of hiding his first marriage when marrying another woman.

Back in 2020, a woman from Moradabad filed a police complaint against Furkan. She said he married her without telling her that he was already married to someone else. She also accused him of raping her during their marriage.

The case was filed at a police station in Moradabad. After that, the court issued summons to Furkan and two other people involved in the matter.

Furkan’s lawyer told the court that the woman already knew about their relationship and still chose to marry him. The lawyer also said that if the second marriage is not valid under the law, then Furkan shouldn’t be charged under Section 494 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with marrying someone while already being married.

While listening to the case, Justice Deswal pointed out that Islam allows up to four wives, but only if the man can treat all of them equally and has a “valid reason” for the marriage. He said that many men don’t follow these rules properly.

“Polygamy was conditionally permitted under the Quran for a ‘valid reason’, but is ‘misused’ by men for ‘selfish reasons’,” the judge said.

During the hearing, Justice Deswal also spoke about the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He said such a law could make marriage and family rules the same for everyone in India, no matter their religion. This would help avoid confusion and make sure laws are fair to all.

Even though Furkan asked the court to cancel the police charges and the court summons, the High Court did not cancel everything. The legal case will still continue, and the court will look into the rape accusation separately.

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