Akhter v Khan (Attorney General intervening)

Subject Matter

MARRIAGE — Validity — Void marriage — Islamic marriage ceremony not complying with statutory requirements — Parties subsequently living as married couple for many years — Whether presumption that parties undergoing valid marriage ceremony during years of cohabitation — Whether Islamic ceremony giving rise to void marriage or wholly invalid marriage — Whether jurisdiction to grant decree of nullity — Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (c 18), s 11(a)(iii) (as amended by Marriage Act 1983 (c 32), s 12(1), Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986 (c 16), s 6(4) and Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (Consequential and Contrary Provisions and Scotland) and Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2014 (SI 2014/3168), Sch 1, para 6(2))

[2018] EWFC 54; [2019] Fam 247; [2019] 2 WLR 771; [2019] 1 FLR 575; [2018] WLR (D) 526, Fam Ct

MARRIAGE — Validity — Void marriage — Islamic marriage ceremony not complying with statutory requirements — Whether giving rise to void marriage or no marriage at all — Whether jurisdiction to grant decree of nullity — Marriage Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo 6, c 76), s 49 — Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 (c 18), s 11 — Human Rights Act 1998 (c 42), Sch 1, Pt I, arts 8, 12, Pt II, art 1 — United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) (Cm 1976), art 3.1

[2020] EWCA Civ 122; [2021] Fam 277; [2020] 2 WLR 1183; [2020] 2 FLR 139; [2020] WLR (D) 95, CA

Appellate History

Commentary

Law and Religion UK blog
Akhter: legal consequences of an unregistered nikah ceremony Case comment

Transparency Project
Void, Valid and Very Confusing – what is the status of Sharia Marriages in the UK? Case comment

Family Law
Akhter v Khan: Islamic marriages and will disputes Case comment

Does Akhter v Khan mean that English Law now recognises Shariah marriages? Case comment

Becket Chambers
Muslim Non-Marriages Case comment

DB Family Law
A fine ceremony but no marriage… Part 1 Case comment

A fine ceremony but no marriage… Part 2 Case comment