Home / Crime and Justice / Rajasthan HC: Live-in Rights Trump Marriage Age
Rajasthan HC: Live-in Rights Trump Marriage Age
5 Dec
Summary
- Court ruled consenting adults can live together regardless of marriageable age.
- Petitioners sought protection from family threats and unaddressed police complaints.
- High Court directed police to ensure protection for the live-in couple.
In a significant ruling, the Rajasthan High Court declared that two consenting adults are entitled to engage in a live-in relationship, irrespective of whether they have reached the legal age for marriage. The court underscored that constitutional rights are paramount and cannot be restricted on such grounds.
This judgement was delivered during a hearing concerning a protection plea filed by a young couple from Kota. The petitioners alleged that the woman's family opposed their relationship and had issued death threats, with their complaints to local police remaining unaddressed.
The court dismissed arguments that the man's age, below the minimum legal marriageable age, invalidated the live-in arrangement. It affirmed the state's obligation to protect every individual's life and liberty, noting that live-in relationships are not illegal in India. Police were ordered to assess the threat and provide protection.
