'Unmarried Major Parents Can Live Together': Allahabad HC Grants Police Protection To Interfaith Live-In Couple Facing Threats

The directive came while hearing a plea filed on behalf of the couple’s minor daughter, who alleged that the mother’s former in-laws were threatening her parents. The petition also stated that the local police had repeatedly refused to register their complaint and even humiliated the couple.

A division bench comprising Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Vipin Chandra Dixit noted that the biological parents of the child, who belong to different religions, had been in a live-in relationship since 2018. The court observed that the mother began living with the child’s biological father after the death of her former husband.

ALSO READ: Kolkata: Jilted Lover Sends 300 COD Parcels To Ex-GF As She 'Enjoyed' Online Shopping; Arrested

The bench emphasised that, under the Constitution, consenting adults are entitled to live together irrespective of marriage and cited Supreme Court precedents affirming this right. "In our view, under the Constitutional scheme the parents, who are major, are entitled to live together, even if they have not undergone marriage," the bench said as quoted by LiveLaw.

The court observed that the couple appeared to be under threat from the woman’s former in-laws and expressed concern about their safety. The bench instructed the Sambhal Superintendent of Police to ensure the couple’s safety and assess whether further security was necessary for the parents and the child. The court also mandated that a First Information Report be registered if the couple approached the police station with a complaint.

ALSO READ: Patna HC Upholds D Pharma As Mandatory Qualification For Pharmacist Jobs In Bihar

Allowing the writ petition, the High Court reinforced that adult individuals in consensual relationships have the right to cohabit and must be protected from harassment or threats stemming from societal or familial disapproval.