Delhi High Court orders protection for live-in couple facing family threats

A couple in their 30s who told the Delhi High Court they had been threatened by the woman’s father and brother has been granted police protection.

Justice Saurabh Banerjee’s August 13 order said the two consenting adults had the right to choose their partner and live together without interference from parents, relatives or friends. The couple said they had been living together for some time and intended to marry, but their relationship had drawn threats of violence from her family.

They had approached the local Station House Officer with a complaint, but told the court that no action followed.

The court said a live-in relationship between consenting adults is “akin to marriage”, even where the partners are not legally married. It noted that the Supreme Court has recognised adults’ right to reside together without wedlock, and referred to the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which also recognises such relationships in law.