Dower Recovery in Bangladesh 2026: How to Claim Your Den Mohor

Dower recovery Bangladesh: how to claim den mohor in 2026

Dower recovery Bangladesh law treats as a matter of enforceable debt, not goodwill. The dower (mahr, mohr or den mohor) recorded in a Muslim marriage contract belongs to the wife from the moment of marriage, and an unpaid balance can be pursued against the husband in the Family Court, enforced against his property and, after his death, recovered from his estate before the heirs divide it. Yet many women never claim it, and many who do lose ground through a missed limitation date, a vague waiver or a poorly drafted settlement.

This guide explains how the claim works in 2026: the difference between prompt and deferred dower, how to read the dower entries in the kabinnama, the rule in section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, limitation under the Limitation Act 1908, mandatory legal aid mediation, the Family Court suit under the Family Courts Act 2023, evidence, appeals, execution of a dower decree, recovery from a deceased husband's estate, and how divorce, khula and judicial dissolution affect the right.

Summary: A Muslim wife in Bangladesh can recover unpaid prompt dower on demand during the marriage and deferred dower when the marriage ends by death or divorce. The claim is brought in the Family Court for a Tk 200 court fee, generally after mandatory legal aid mediation in notified districts, must be filed within three years of the trigger event, and a decree is enforced by attachment and sale or as a fine with the threat of imprisonment.

Key point: Where the kabinnama does not say how the dower is to be paid, section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 makes the entire amount payable on demand. Where it splits the dower into prompt and deferred parts, that split governs, and the deferred part normally cannot be claimed while the marriage subsists.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

What dower recovery Bangladesh law protects in 2026

Dower is the sum of money or other property that a Muslim husband becomes obliged to give his wife by reason of the marriage. It is not a gift the husband may choose to make, and it is not the price of the marriage. It is the wife's own property, and a balance left unpaid is a debt she can sue for. Any term in which a wife purports to agree that no dower is payable is void, and dower is owed even where no figure was fixed at the time of marriage.[11]

The High Court Division restated the point plainly in December 2025: "A husband is legally bound to pay dower to his wife under Muslim Law," and there is "no lawful basis" for waiving an unpaid decretal amount simply because the husband finds it inconvenient.[9] That is the starting point for any dower recovery Bangladesh claim: the burden of proving payment, release or a lawful defence sits with the husband.

The legal framework

There is no single dower statute. The substantive rules come from Muslim personal law, applied to Muslims by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1937, and from the classical authorities that the Supreme Court continues to cite.[12] Statute adds four layers: section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 on the mode of payment, articles 103 and 104 of the Limitation Act 1908, section 5 of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939, which preserves dower on dissolution, and the Family Courts Act 2023, which sets the forum, procedure and enforcement.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Why so many claims go unmade

Social pressure, long gaps between marriage and divorce and the assumption that dower is symbolic all keep claims out of court. One study reported in The Daily Star found that 88 per cent of women surveyed had never claimed their dower.[12]

Prompt dower and deferred dower

Muslim law divides dower into two parts. Prompt dower (mu'ajjal) is payable immediately on demand. Deferred dower (mu'wajjal) falls due when the marriage ends by death or divorce, or on another event the parties specified.[11] [12] The split between the two is the single most important fact in any dower recovery Bangladesh case, because it determines when the claim can be brought and when limitation starts to run.

Prompt dower: payable on demand

The wife may demand prompt dower at any time during the marriage, and the husband must pay it. She does not need to wait for divorce, and she does not need to leave the marriage to sue. A husband's failure to pay prompt dower is also relevant to maintenance: a wife who lives apart because her prompt dower is unpaid is not treated as having deserted him, a point developed in our guide to the maintenance case in Bangladesh.

Deferred dower: due on death or divorce

Deferred dower is a postponed debt. In Md Mizanur Rahman v Mosammot Rasheda Khatun, decided by the High Court Division on 16 July 2026, the court noted that Sunni jurists generally hold deferred dower to be claimable only on dissolution of the marriage by death, talaq or divorce, and refused the wife's deferred dower claim because her marriage had not been lawfully dissolved.[8] The lesson is direct: while the marriage continues, a claim for deferred dower is premature unless the kabinnama makes it payable earlier.

Section 10: when the kabinnama is silent

Section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 provides that where no details about the mode of payment of dower are specified in the nikahnama or marriage contract, the entire amount of the dower is payable on demand.[1] In practice this converts the whole dower into prompt dower whenever the prompt and deferred columns are left blank.

The presumption is narrow. In Mizanur Rahman the trial court treated the entire dower of Tk 1,29,999 as prompt under section 10, but the High Court Division held that it was wrong to do so because the nikahnama recorded Tk 250 as the prompt portion. Once any mode of payment is specified, section 10 does not apply. The court also noted the Hanafi presumption that, absent proof of custom, one half is prompt and one half deferred.[8]

When the whole dower falls due at once

Two situations accelerate the deferred portion. First, once the marriage is dissolved, the entire unpaid balance becomes payable. Bangladeshi courts continue to rely on the Rangoon decision in A M Md Ebrahim v Ma Ma (AIR 1939 Rangoon 28) for the proposition that, after consummation and dissolution, the wife is entitled to immediate payment of the whole of the unpaid dower, prompt and deferred.[9]

Second, a husband who contracts another marriage without the permission of the Arbitration Council must pay immediately the entire dower, whether prompt or deferred, due to his existing wife or wives, and if he does not, the amount is recoverable as arrears of land revenue. He is also liable on conviction to simple imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to ten thousand taka, or both.[1] For a first wife facing an unauthorised second marriage, this is a powerful and underused lever.

Reading the kabinnama: the dower entries that decide the case

The registered kabinnama (nikahnama) is the primary evidence in almost every dower recovery Bangladesh suit. Its dower columns are filled in by the Nikah Registrar at the time of marriage, and courts read them closely.

Columns 13 to 16

Clauses 13 to 16 of the standard form deal with dower.[11] As the High Court Division read them in Mizanur Rahman, column 13 records the total dower, column 14 records the amounts of prompt and deferred dower, and column 15 records what was paid at marriage and how; in that case Tk 250 was shown as paid through ornaments.[8] Column 16 records whether any property was given in lieu of all or part of the dower.[11]

Before filing, obtain a certified copy of the register entry from the Nikah Registrar and compare it with the copy the wife holds. Any blank, overwriting or mismatch between copies will become a trial issue, and in Mizanur Rahman the husband's competing nikahnama showing a much lower figure was disbelieved by the trial court.[8]

Ornaments and property given in lieu

Payment at marriage is commonly made in gold ornaments, and column 15 is where the husband's defence of part-payment usually rests. A wife who disputes that ornaments were given, or disputes their value, must say so expressly in the plaint.

Land is a more difficult case. In Sadrul Huq v Farhana Firdousi the High Court Division accepted that land may validly form dower under Islamic principles and that a husband's father may undertake to provide it, but held that a transfer recorded only in clause 16 of the nikahnama, without registration under the Registration Act 1908 as amended in 2004 or a transfer under the Transfer of Property Act 1882, was void as a conveyance. The court also held that the wife's proper remedy was a dower suit in the Family Court rather than a partition suit, and gave her four months to file one.[10] Where land is promised as dower, insist on a registered deed.

Limitation: how long you have to claim dower

Limitation is where most avoidable losses happen. The Limitation Act 1908 gives a three-year period for both kinds of dower, but the start date differs.[3]

Prompt dower: article 103

A suit for prompt (exigible) dower must be brought within three years from when the dower is demanded and refused, or, where no demand was made during the marriage, from when the marriage is dissolved by death or divorce.[3] A written demand during the marriage therefore starts the clock. A wife who makes a formal demand and receives a refusal should diarise the three-year date immediately.

Deferred dower: article 104

A suit for deferred dower must be brought within three years from when the marriage is dissolved by death or divorce.[3] The date of dissolution is therefore critical. Where a talaq is disputed or the section 7 notice procedure was not followed, the date on which the marriage was actually dissolved can itself become the main issue, as Mizanur Rahman shows.[8]

Mediation time does not count

Section 21B(4) of the Legal Aid Services Act 2000 excludes the time spent in pre-case mediation from the computation of limitation.[5] That protects a wife who applies to the legal aid office close to the deadline, but it is not a reason to wait: the application should be made, and evidenced, well inside the three years.

Practical consequences

• Record every demand: a dated letter or legal notice demanding prompt dower fixes the start of the article 103 period and proves refusal.
• Fix the date of divorce: keep the talaq notice, the Union Parishad or City Corporation papers and the divorce registration, because the article 104 period runs from dissolution.
• Do not let talks run on: family negotiations and informal shalish do not stop time. Only the statutory mediation period is excluded.

Mandatory mediation before a dower suit

Dower is one of the scheduled disputes under the Legal Aid Services Act 2000. The Legal Aid Services (Amendment) Act 2026 (Act No. 45 of 2026) inserted sections 21B to 21E into the 2000 Act, and section 21B requires the aggrieved party first to apply to the legal aid office for settlement through mediation; a case may be filed in the competent court only if mediation fails, and the filing party must submit the prescribed report to the court.[5] The schedule covers nine categories, including dower, spousal maintenance, restitution of conjugal rights, and guardianship and custody of children.[7]

Where it applies

By S.R.O. No. 288-Law/2026 dated 30 July 2026, section 21B took effect from 31 July 2026 in thirty districts, including Faridpur, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Sylhet, Jashore, Cox's Bazar and Tangail.[5] The government has said it intends to extend the system nationwide in stages, so check the current notification before filing.[7] In a district that is not yet covered, mediation remains voluntary, and the Family Court's own reconciliation stages still apply.

What a mediated settlement achieves

Under section 21C, a mediation agreement signed by the parties and the mediator and certified by the Chief Legal Aid Officer is final, enforceable and binding, is treated as a court decree or final order, and can be executed through the competent court.[6] For dower recovery Bangladesh practitioners this is significant: a well-drafted legal aid settlement can produce an enforceable payment obligation in weeks rather than years.

The drafting must be precise. State the total dower, what has been paid and when, the balance, the payment schedule, the consequences of default, and whether the settlement also covers maintenance and iddat maintenance. A settlement that is vague about whether deferred dower is included will be argued over at execution. Our guide to mediation in Bangladesh explains the wider regime.

Filing a dower suit in the Family Court

If mediation fails, or the district is not covered, the claim goes to the Family Court. Section 5 of the Family Courts Act 2023 gives it jurisdiction over suits relating to or arising out of dissolution of marriage, restitution of conjugal rights, dower, maintenance, and guardianship and custody of children.[2] A civil suit or partition suit is the wrong forum for dower, as the High Court Division made clear in Sadrul Huq.[10]

Where to file

A suit may be filed where the cause of action arose wholly or partly, or where the parties reside or last resided together. In suits for dissolution, dower or maintenance, the court within whose limits the wife ordinarily resides also has jurisdiction.[2] A wife who has returned to her parents' district can therefore sue there rather than in the husband's home district.

The plaint, documents and court fee

The plaint must set out the essential facts, the cause of action with date and place, the facts giving jurisdiction and the relief sought, together with a schedule of witnesses and their addresses. Documents the plaintiff relies on must be filed with the plaint or listed, and documents not filed cannot later be used without the court's permission, which is granted only in exceptional cases. Copies of the plaint equal to twice the number of defendants are required. The court fee for a plaint under the Act is Tk 200, regardless of the amount of dower claimed.[2]

Summons, written statement and pre-trial

The court fixes an appearance date within thirty days and serves summons, including by registered post and, where the court is satisfied the address is correct, by email.[2] The husband files his written statement on the appearance date, or within a further twenty-one days for reasonable cause. A pre-trial hearing follows within thirty days, at which the court frames the issues and tries to reconcile the parties; if that fails, it fixes a date for evidence.[2]

Trial, judgment and compromise

Proceedings may be held in camera, and must be if both parties ask. After the evidence, the court makes a further attempt at reconciliation before pronouncing judgment. If the parties settle at any stage, the suit is disposed of by a decree on the compromise terms.[2] If the husband does not appear after proper service, the court can proceed ex parte; an ex parte decree can be set aside only on an application made within thirty days showing sufficient cause.[2]

Join every related claim

Dower is usually best claimed alongside maintenance, iddat maintenance and child maintenance in the same suit. The family court decisions that reach the High Court Division routinely combine unpaid dower with monthly maintenance for the wife and children.[9] Splitting them multiplies cost.

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Evidence that wins dower recovery Bangladesh cases

The issues in a dower suit are usually narrow: the amount fixed, the split between prompt and deferred dower, what has been paid, whether the marriage has been dissolved and when, and whether the claim is in time. Each needs specific proof.

Proving the marriage and the amount

The certified kabinnama is the core exhibit. In the December 2025 cases that reached the High Court Division, the family courts relied on the marriage record as Exhibit 1 for the dower fixed: Tk 1,65,000 in one case, Tk 1,30,000 in another.[9] Where the husband alleges a different figure or a forged entry, the Nikah Registrar and his volume become important witnesses, and the wife should apply early for the register to be produced.

Proving or disproving payment

The husband bears the burden of proving payment. Courts look for bank records, receipts, a valuation of ornaments and credible witnesses. In Abdul Halim v Rupali Khatun the husband claimed to have paid Tk 1,60,000 through a bank, but his own written statement described the transactions as the wife's withdrawals from his account, and the decree was upheld.[9]

Waivers and releases

Husbands often rely on a written waiver. A waiver extracted under pressure is not binding: in Shah Banu Begum v Iftekhar Md Khan, a waiver obtained from the wife on the wedding night was held ineffective.[12] Any genuine release should be specific, voluntary and supported by evidence of free consent.

Proving dissolution

For deferred dower, the wife must prove the marriage has ended. Where the husband relies on a talaq or khula he says took place, the wife may dispute it; in Mizanur Rahman the lower courts disbelieved a claimed khula registered at a different Nikah registry, and the High Court Division held the marriage subsisting, with the result that deferred dower was not yet payable.[8] Decide early which outcome serves the client and plead consistently.

Appeals and revision

An appeal from the Family Court lies to the Family Appellate Court within thirty days, excluding the time taken to obtain copies, and the appellate court may extend time for sufficient cause.[2] No appeal lies against a dower decree of up to Tk 50,000.[2] For small dower claims, the trial is therefore the only full hearing on the facts, and the evidence must be complete at first instance.

Above that threshold, a husband who loses on appeal frequently seeks revision in the High Court Division. Stays in revision are commonly conditioned on deposit: in Abdul Halim the High Court Division stayed the appellate judgment subject to deposit of half the decretal amount, and the Rule was eventually discharged.[9] A wife resisting a revision should press for deposit as a condition of any stay, so that delay does not erode the value of the decree.

Execution of a dower decree

A decree is only as good as its execution. Section 17 of the Family Courts Act 2023 sets out a dedicated execution regime for money decrees, including dower decrees.[2]

The one-year window

If a money decree is not paid within the time fixed by the court, the decree-holder may apply for execution within one year after that time expires.[2] This is far shorter than the general three-year period for executing civil decrees under article 182 of the Limitation Act.[3] Diarise it the day the decree is passed.

Two routes to payment

The decree-holder chooses between two routes. Under the first, the decree is executed as a civil money decree under the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Family Court is deemed a civil court with all the powers of a civil court for that purpose, which brings in attachment and sale of the judgment-debtor's movable and immovable property.[2]

Under the second, the amount is recovered as if it were a fine imposed under the Code of Criminal Procedure. The judge is deemed a Magistrate of the first class, may issue a warrant, and may then order imprisonment for up to three months or until payment, whichever is earlier; recovered money is paid to the decree-holder.[2] The fine route is often the faster lever against a husband with income but no easily attachable assets.

Instalments and transfer

The court may order a money decree to be paid in instalments and fix their number.[2] Instalment orders should be resisted where the husband plainly has the means to pay, and where granted they should carry a clear default clause. Execution may be carried out by the decreeing court or transferred to another Family Court, which then has the same powers, a useful option where the husband's property lies in another district.[2]

Interim protection

If there is a real risk that the husband will dispose of property to defeat the claim, section 21 allows the court, at any stage, to make such interim order as it considers appropriate where it is satisfied that immediate action is needed to prevent a party frustrating the suit or appeal.[2] An application supported by evidence of an impending sale should be made at filing, not after the decree.

Recovering dower from the husband's estate

Death does not extinguish dower. On the husband's death the marriage is dissolved, the deferred dower falls due and the three-year period under articles 103 and 104 runs from the date of death.[3] Dower recovery Bangladesh claims against an estate are among the most valuable, because the husband's property is typically still intact and identifiable.

Dower is a debt on the estate

Unpaid dower is a debt of the deceased husband and a burden on his estate.[12] Unless the wife has waived it, it is paid out of the estate before the heirs take their shares.[11] The widow's claim to dower is entirely separate from her inheritance share as a wife. She takes both: first the dower as a creditor, then her Quranic share of what remains. Our guide to inheritance law in Bangladesh explains how the remaining estate is divided.

The widow's right of retention

A widow who is lawfully in possession of her husband's property, and whose dower is unpaid, may retain that possession until the dower is satisfied. The right is one to retain, not to obtain possession, as the Privy Council held in Maina Bibi v Chaudhri Vakil Ahmad (1924).[12] It gives leverage, not ownership.

Suing the heirs and executing against them

The claim is brought against the heirs as the deceased husband's legal representatives. Where the husband dies after a decree but before payment, the decree-holder may apply to the court that passed it to execute it against his legal representatives. Under section 50 of the Code of Civil Procedure, each legal representative is liable only to the extent of the deceased's property that has come into his hands and has not been duly disposed of, and the court may require accounts.[14] In practice this means tracing the estate early, before heirs sell or partition it.

Practical points for widows

• Act before partition: raise the dower claim before mutation or a partition among heirs, and record it in any family settlement deed.
• Keep the kabinnama safe: heirs often dispute the amount once the husband, the person who knew the truth, has died.
• Do not confuse dower with inheritance: heirs sometimes offer an inflated inheritance share "in full settlement". Separate the two expressly in any agreement.

Dower on divorce, khula and judicial dissolution

How the marriage ends affects what can be recovered. The general rule is protective: section 5 of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939 provides that nothing in that Act affects any right a married woman may have under Muslim law to her dower or any part of it on the dissolution of her marriage.[4]

Talaq by the husband

Where the husband pronounces talaq, the whole unpaid dower becomes payable, together with iddat maintenance. A husband cannot avoid dower by divorcing his wife, and the courts have treated the 1939 Act's saving provision and the Ebrahim line of authority as decisive.[9] If the section 7 notice procedure is not followed, the date of effective dissolution may be contested, so the wife should obtain the Chairman's file.

Delegated divorce and judicial dissolution

A wife who divorces under a delegated right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid) recorded in clause 18 of the kabinnama does not have to give up dower or maintenance to use it.[11] A wife who obtains a decree of dissolution from the Family Court on a ground in section 2 of the 1939 Act, such as the husband's failure to maintain her for two years, keeps her dower by virtue of section 5.[4] [12]

Khula and mutual divorce

Khula is different. The wife seeks release and offers consideration, usually by giving up all or part of her dower, and that is the one form of dissolution in which loss of dower is the expected consequence.[12] But the waiver is only as wide as the bargain. A khula agreement that does not state the total dower, what has been paid and exactly what is released leaves room for a later claim, and a khula that cannot be proved, as in Mizanur Rahman, does not dissolve the marriage at all.[8] Our guide to mutual divorce in Bangladesh explains how to draft khula and mubara'at settlements so the dower terms hold.

Husband's arguments about consummation

Husbands sometimes argue that the parties never lived together and that only half the dower is due. In the December 2025 decisions the High Court Division did not accept that argument where consummation was admitted and proved, and upheld decrees for the unpaid balance.[9] Evidence of cohabitation, even brief, should be led at trial.

There is also authority the other way on conduct. In Nur Akhter v Md Abdul Mabud Chowdhury (1996) a wife who refused conjugal life was held not entitled to deferred dower, a decision that has been criticised.[12] A husband will raise it whenever the wife left the matrimonial home, so the reason for living apart must be pleaded and proved.

Inflation and the 2026 High Court rule on deferred dower

A dower fixed at Tk 1 lakh in 2006 is worth far less in 2026, and the deferred portion is often paid, if at all, decades after the marriage. On 13 July 2026 a High Court Division bench of Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Fatema Anwar issued a rule, on a public interest writ petition, asking why the government should not be directed to frame guidelines under section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 on how dower that becomes payable after a long delay should be assessed and recovered, taking account of inflation and the loss of the money's value.[13]

The respondents include the secretaries of the ministries of law, women and children affairs, religious affairs and home affairs, and the Bangladesh Law Commission. The court observed that dower is not meant to be a permanently deferred debt.[13] Until the rule is decided, dower is recovered at its face value in taka. Wives negotiating a new kabinnama, and families advising them, should consider fixing a meaningful prompt portion, specifying gold by weight rather than cash value, or setting a date for payment of the deferred portion.

Dower recovery Bangladesh mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for "the right time": a demand and refusal starts the article 103 clock; a divorce or death starts article 104. Three years passes quickly in a family crisis.[3]
• Suing in the wrong court: dower belongs in the Family Court, not in a civil or partition suit.[10]
• Skipping mediation in a covered district: the court will expect the mediation report that section 21B(3) requires.[5]
• Claiming deferred dower too early: while the marriage subsists, deferred dower is generally not yet payable.[8]
• Leaving documents out of the plaint: unfiled documents are admitted later only in exceptional cases.[2]
• Signing a vague release: any khula or settlement must state the total dower, the amount paid and the amount released.
• Missing the execution window: a Family Court money decree must be put into execution within one year of the payment deadline.[2]
• Letting the estate be divided first: assert the claim before heirs mutate and sell.

What to watch in 2026 and beyond

Three developments will shape dower recovery Bangladesh practice over the coming year. First, the outcome of the July 2026 High Court rule on inflation and deferred dower, which could lead to official guidelines on valuation.[13] Second, the continuing roll-out of mandatory legal aid mediation beyond the thirty districts notified in July 2026, which will make a well-drafted mediation agreement the most common route to payment.[5] [7] Third, the steady stream of High Court Division decisions refining when deferred dower falls due and how section 10 operates.[8]

Whether you are a wife claiming dower, a widow protecting her claim against an estate, or a husband or family facing a claim, the decisive steps happen early: securing the kabinnama, fixing the limitation date, choosing between mediation and suit, and protecting assets. TRW's Islamic family law practice and family mediation and settlement practice act on dower claims at every stage. Contact TRW to discuss your case.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between prompt and deferred dower?

Prompt dower is payable on demand at any time during the marriage. Deferred dower falls due when the marriage ends by death or divorce, or on another event the kabinnama specifies.[11] [12]

What happens if the kabinnama does not split the dower?

Under section 10 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, if the mode of payment is not specified, the entire dower is payable on demand. If any split is recorded, the split governs.[1] [8]

How long do I have to file a dower suit?

Three years. For prompt dower, time runs from demand and refusal or, if no demand was made, from death or divorce. For deferred dower, it runs from dissolution of the marriage by death or divorce.[3]

Do I have to go to mediation before suing for dower?

In a notified district, yes. Dower is a scheduled dispute under section 21B of the Legal Aid Services Act 2000, which applied in thirty districts from 31 July 2026; you may file in court only if mediation fails.[5] [7]

Which court hears a dower case and where can I file?

The Family Court. You may file where the cause of action arose, where the parties live or last lived together, or where the wife ordinarily resides.[2]

What is the court fee for a dower suit?

The court fee for a plaint under the Family Courts Act 2023 is Tk 200, whatever the amount of dower claimed.[2]

Does a wife lose her dower if she seeks divorce?

Not generally. Dower is preserved on judicial dissolution by section 5 of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939, and a delegated divorce under the kabinnama does not require her to give it up. In khula she usually gives up dower, but only to the extent she agrees.[4] [11] [12]

How is a dower decree enforced?

Apply within one year after the payment deadline. The decree can be executed as a civil money decree by attachment and sale, or recovered as a fine with a warrant and imprisonment of up to three months or until payment.[2]

Can a widow recover dower from her husband's estate?

Yes. Unpaid dower is a debt on the estate, paid before the heirs divide it, and is separate from her inheritance share. Heirs are liable only to the extent of the estate they receive.[11] [12] [14]

Can I appeal a dower decree?

Yes, to the Family Appellate Court within thirty days, except that no appeal lies against a dower decree of up to Tk 50,000.[2]