4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 9, 2026 10:25 AM IST Madhya Pradesh High Court news: The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently held that a Muslim man’s second marriage during the subsistence of his first marriage does not, by itself, constitute the offence of bigamy under Section 494 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Justice B P Sharma made the observation while partly allowing a plea seeking quashing of proceedings arising out of a complaint lodged by the petitioner’s first wife. Justice B P Sharma noted that other allegations against the husband, relating to cruelty, assault, and criminal intimidation, were supported by material collected during the investigation. “Parties are governed by Muslim Personal Law which permits a Muslim male to have more than one wife. Thus, even if the allegations of the complainant are accepted at their face value, the act of the petitioner in contracting a second marriage would not satisfy the essential ingredients of Section 494 (marrying again during lifetime of husband/wife),” the Madhya Pradesh High Court said in its order dated March 18. …