Singapore, July 17 (DPA) In a landmark decision published Monday Singapore's High Court has ruled that Islamic court divorces are recognised by civil courts.

The case raised "a very important issue," said Justice Tan Lee Meng, who affirmed that the shariah court is one "of competent jurisdiction."

Marriages dissolved there are recognised as dissolved in the civil courts as well, said the ruling published in The Straits Times.

Noor Azizan had married Tan Lip Chin, then a non-Muslim, in a civil wedding ceremony in September 1997. Tan subsequently became a Muslim, and the couple went through a Muslim marriage ceremony two years later.

The marriage broke up, and a shariah court granted a divorce in November 2004.

Tan ruled that recognising the divorce in the civil court was the practical approach since the couple had only one marital relationship even though they had undergone more than one ceremony.

"The court's ruling is important as otherwise a person in a similar situation, who wants to remarry in a civil wedding, would be committing bigamy, which is an offence here," Tan was quoted as saying.

N. Kanagavijayan, Tan's lawyer, said he would inform the Registry of Marriages that his client is divorced on the strength of the court's order.

Singapore's predominantly Chinese population also consists of 14 per cent Moslem alays and 6 percent Indians.