The Court of Appeal overturned a High Court judgement last week (14/02/20), ruling that a religious Nikah ceremony is a void marriage.

In what is being described by family law specialists as a “landmark” ruling, Deborah Jeff, a partner and head of family at Seddons, warned it will have “huge repercussions for couples who have ‘married’ by way of a religious ‘nikah’ ceremony without following up with a civil ceremony.”

In this case, which related to the separation of Nasreen Akhter and Mohammed Shabaz Khan, the couple had an Islamic marriage ceremony, known as a Nikah in 1998 at a restaurant in London. Kn...