A man in Lahore was fined Rs200,000 and sentenced to six months in prison by a local court on Wednesday for getting married for a second time without taking permission from his first wife.

The man subsequently submitted surety bonds worth Rs50,000 to avoid immediate imprisonment. He also has recourse to challenge his conviction.

Judicial magistrate Jawad Naqvi, who announced the verdict, had been hearing a case filed by petitioner Ayesha Bibi, who said that her husband, Shahzad Saqib, had married for the second time without getting her permission.

"To get married without your first wife's permission is breaking the law," she had argued in her appeal.

She asked that her husband's second marriage be declared illegal by the court.

The magistrate subsequently awarded Saqib six months in prison and a Rs200,000 fine.

The Council of Islamic Ideology has often criticised the existing law, which requires written approval from the first wife if her husband wants to marry a second time.