In this capacity, the Indian High Court was able to declare that though minor couples in live-in relationships cannot go to court seeking protection, those already married should be protected in case of threats.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a recent judgment, opined that if a married person is living in a relationship or if they are in an actual adulterous relationship, then the person can claim protection if he or she is being threatened from the side of their respective family, or what can be termed ‘moral police’.
The judgment was given in the case, which was filed in three different petitions, as pointed out by Law Trend.
The first scenario was that of a married man who lived with another woman in a marriage-like relationship. The second case at hand, on the other hand, was a married woman who was also in a live-in relationship with another man.
The third was an appeal against a previous order made on August 31, 2021, and which declined a similar petition for protection of a live-in couple. It was also held that particulars of abuse of process be given while the appellant was ordered to pay costs.
Autonomy of body
Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Sudeepti Sharma said that each person has ‘’ bodily integrity’’ and referred to the power point wherein, if any kind of attack is allowed on any live-in couple, it will be a loss.
“While accepting the socio-moral impact of such live-in relationships rather the preemptions of appropriate assaults of any nature, happening to the live-in couple concerned is the foundation laid by the Apex Court whereby the self-autonomy in its various dynamic forms has been provided to the live-in couple, if one of them is married, and if thereby the adultery has been decriminalized if it erupts then the protection to the above genre of relationship
However, the court noted that those who have minor children should not abdicate their responsibility to provide the best care and protection to their wards.
