Punjab & Haryana HC Grants Protection To Couple In Live-In Relationship, Says They Are 'Entitled'

The pair had filed a petition requesting protection from the girl's relatives, who wanted to force her to marry someone else against her will.

Representative Photo

Chandigarh: On Friday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court awarded protection to a couple, a 21-year-old lady and a 19-year-old man, ruling that they are allowed to live together in a live-in relationship because they had turned major. 

While hearing a Criminal Writ Petition brought by Pushpa Devi and Others, a single-judge court led by Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi issued this ruling. The petitioners have filed a petition under Articles 226 and 227 of the Indian Constitution, requesting that respondents provide orders protecting the petitioners' life and liberty from respondents' actions. 

“In the present case the petitioners being major are entitled to live together in live-in-relationship and are also entitled to protection of their life and liberty against any harm from respondents No.4 and 5”, observed the bench as reported by Live Law website. 

The pair had filed a petition requesting protection from the girl's relatives, who wanted to force her to marry someone else against her will. For the sake of their family's prestige, the couple was also supposedly threatened with death by the family. 

The petitioners said that, even though the boy was 19 years old and had not yet reached the age of majority, the two would marry as soon as the marriageable age was reached. The pair, who were in a live-in relationship, had submitted a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police requesting protection, but no action was taken. The Court ordered the police to provide protection to the couple based on relevant court decisions. 

“In view of the above discussion, the petition is disposed of with a direction to respondent No.2-Senior Superintendent of Police, District Mohali to look into the grievances of the Petitioners as set out in the Petition and also expressed in the representation dated July 02, 2021, and take appropriate action for the protection of their life and liberty as may be warranted by the circumstances”, the Court ordered as stated in the report. 

In a similar incident last month, the High Court awarded police protection to an 18-year-old boy and a 19-year-old girl who were living together in a live-in relationship.