Supreme Court judge calls for polygamy legislation

Mr Justice Frank Clarke said “urgent attention” was necessary following a ruling which recognised the validity of the first marriage of a Muslim man who had married two women in Lebanon.

The court found that the second marriage could not be recognised, but that did not mean the State was compelled to “deny all legal effect to polygamous marriages in all contexts”.

In the judgment, Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley wrote: “There is no particular reason why a marriage should not be given recognition for certain purposes, as has been done in many instances in the courts of the United Kingdom.”

The Department of Justice has said it will carefully examine the judgment and the need for legislation.