Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has rejected a writ petition filed by a married woman and her live-in partner who sought police protection from the woman’s husband. The court said that it does not oppose live-in relationships in general, but it is against illegal relationships.
The court stated that it would not permit parties involved in illegal relationships to seek its validation, as it would indirectly endorse such illicit relationships. The court emphasised that the social fabric of the country should not be compromised for the sake of live-in relationships. Granting police protection to such couples would imply acceptance of their illegal relationships.
In this case, a 37-year-old married woman and her live-in partner approached the court, asserting that although they were not married, they willingly entered into a live-in relationship due to the problematic behavior of the woman’s husband. The woman claimed that her husband posed a threat to their peaceful lives, hence she sought police protection.
The Standing Counsel for the State respondents argued that the court should not support this kind of relationship. Additionally, they cited a previous case, Aneeta and another Vs. State of U.P. and others, where a division bench of the High Court had already dismissed a protection plea from a married woman living with her partner, imposing an exemplary cost of Rs. 5,000.
Considering the precedent set in the Aneeta case, the bench of the Allahabad High Court dismissed the plea, stating that such relationships should not be allowed to exist at the expense of society’s fabric.
