‘Live-In Relationships Not Acceptable Morally or Socially’: Punjab and Haryana High Court Issues Order After Unmarried Couple Seeks Protection for Life and Liberty
The couple had filed the petition seeking protection of their life and liberty. Reports inform that Justice HS Madaan passed these orders while dismissing the petition filed by the couple from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. Till now, the couple was in a live-in relationship to avoid the wrath of the girl’s family that was against their relationship.
Chandigarh, May 18: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday passed an order saying that ‘live-in-relationship is morally or socially not acceptable’ after a runaway couple from Punjab, who was in a ‘live-in’ relationship, had filed a petition in the court. The couple had filed the petition seeking protection of their life and liberty. Reports inform that Justice HS Madaan passed these orders while dismissing the petition filed by the couple from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. Till now, the couple was in a live-in relationship to avoid the wrath of the girl’s family that was against their relationship. Consensual Sex Between Live-in Partners Cannot Be Categorised As Rape if Man Fails To Keep Marriage Promise, Says Supreme Court.
According to a report by the Times of India, the petitioner couple has been identified as Gulza Kumari and Gurwinder Singh. They had filed the petition stating that at present they were staying together and intend to get married soon. The couple, in their petition, sought protection as they said they were apprehensive about the danger to their lives from the parents of the girl. Married Woman In a 15-Year Live In Relationship With Another Man Can Claim Maintenance, Says Bombay High Court.
Justice Madaan wrote in his order said that the couple was seeking an approval on their live-in-relationship, which is morally and socially not acceptable and no protection order in the petition can be passed. The counsel for the petitioner, advocate J S Thakur said the girl was 19 years old and the boy was 22 years old, and both wanted to marry each other. “As a matter of fact, the petitioners in the garb of filing the present petition are seeking seal of approval on their live-in-relationship, which is morally and socially not acceptable and no protection order in the petition can be passed. The petition stands dismissed accordingly”, the statement said.
The report further informed that the girl named Ujjawal and the boy, Manpreet had claimed to be in a “live-in relationship” without marrying each other and wanted the HC to protect their life from the girl’s family. The TOI report adds that due to some documents like the Aadhaar card being in possession of the girl’s family, the couple could not get married. Advocate Thakur said that as the Supreme Court has already upheld the live-in relationship, they had approached the High court seeking directions to protect their life and liberty till they get married.
Another bench of the High Court had recently held that if directions for protection of a runaway couple in a “live-in relationship,” are granted, the “social fabric of the society would get disturbed.” In its order, while refusing to grant any protection to the couple, the HC bench had observed that the girl is barely 18 years old while the boy is just 21. “Petitioner No 1 (girl) is barely 18 years old whereas petitioner No 2 (boy) is 21 years old. They claim to be residing together in a live-in relationship and claim protection of their life and liberty from the girl’s relatives. In the considered view of this bench, if such protection as claimed is granted, the entire social fabric of the society would get disturbed,” the HC said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2021 01:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).