Is polygamy Singapore legal? What can you do if you find out that your spouse is married to someone else other than you?
Death of Mr Khokon
Mr Khokon died over 2.5 years ago but his body is still at the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College. 2 women have been fighting a legal battle to claim the body. They are Hindu and Muslim respectively. Both women claim to be Mr Khokon’s wife. The person who succeeds in her claim for Mr Khokon’s body will be able to conduct Mr Khokon’s funeral.
Mr Khokon was the owner of Capital Super Market which sits on over 1.5 bighas of land. Some shopkeepers working at the Capital Super Market are speculating that the legal battle could also be down to the dispute over his properties.
The dispute between 2 wives
Mr Khokon passed away at the Birdem Hospital on 26 June 2014. Mira Nandi, one of his alleged wife, wanted to claim his body for cremation.
Habiba Akhter, a college teacher and the other alleged wife, said that Mr Khokon had converted to Islam many years ago. She wants to bury the body. Her claim is however rejected by Mr Khokon’s brother Babul, who stated that Mr Khokon never converted to Islam and he always lived with Mira and their children.
In the same week of Mr Khokon’s death, the 2 women made various police reports. The dispute ended up in a Dhaka court. A 3rd court is now hearing it.
See: “Kept in mortuary by two ‘wives’”, The Daily Star/ Asia News Network, 5 February 2017
Polygamy Singapore is not legal. If you find out that your spouse is married before he/ she got married to you, your marriage is void under the Women’s Charter Singapore.
See: Section 105 of Women’s Charter (Singapore)
You should engage an annulment lawyer straightaway to carry out your nullity proceedings, so that the Family Justice Courts can make a declaration that your marriage is void from the onset.
For more questions on polygamy Singapore or annulment/ nullity proceedings in Singapore, please contact us today!
You may also be interested to read more about:
2. Annulment (Nullity) of Marriage
5. Maintenance Issues (Alimony)
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