In a landmark judgment, Qatar’s highest court has settled a marathon legal battle in which a man denied he was married to a woman and had a child from the marriage, by ordering DNA tests. The tests showed the defendant was the father of the child, and he was married to the woman who had dragged him to court. The Court of Cassation ruled that the marriage between the warring couple was legal, Al Sharq reported yesterday. Details of the case suggest that the couple decided to get married about three years ago, but the husband insisted that the ceremony not be held in Qatar due to his “social circumstances.” The duo got married in another Arab country and the marriage was legalised as per the laws of that country. A male child was born to the couple. The husband later denied having any relationship with the woman and claimed that the child was not his. The woman filed a lawsuit in a Qatari court and produced a marriage certificate and recorded testimonies of people from the country where the marriage had taken place. The defence lawyer challenged the authenticity of the evidence and this led to a prolonged legal battle, with the case finally reaching the Court of Cassation. The highest court referred to the legal documents presented by the plaintiff and ordered that DNA tests be conducted on the father and the child. The results of the tests showed that the defendant was indeed the father of the child. THE PENINSULA

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