A case brought by an 18-year-old woman from the Maldives against her father has been dismissed by a court after he declined to give his consent for her marriage.

The situation concerned a young woman from an island in Lhaviyani Atoll who requested a court directive to appoint a guardian when her father refused to give consent for her marriage. It was submitted to a magistrate court in Laamu Atoll, since the woman planned to wed a man living in that area.

The court, however, rejected the case, determining that it did not have the authority to address the issue. The court determined that the respondent, the father of the woman, lives in Lhaviyani Atoll and lacks both legal residency and any jurisdictional link to Laamu Atoll. Consequently, the Laamu Atoll Magistrate Court was considered to lack jurisdiction to rule on the case.

According to the Maldives' Family Act and marriage regulations, a woman can request judicial intervention—often called a "guardianship case"—if her father denies consent for her marriage. If a father, acting as the legal guardian, denies consent without a legitimate reason, the woman may submit a petition to the Family Court or the appropriate Magistrate Court on her island.

In these proceedings, the court evaluates the justifications for the father's rejection. The overseeing judge must ascertain if the objections stem from legitimate reasons acknowledged by Islamic Shariah. In many instances, the court initially aims to settle the issue peacefully through counseling and mediation to obtain the father's agreement.

If the court finds that the father has denied consent without a valid Shari'ah-compliant reason, it may permit the marriage via 'Wali al-Hakim' (judicial guardianship), where a judge takes on the guardian's role.