India News : The Allahabad High Court has delivered a landmark judgment affirming the rights of adults to marry by choice, emphasizing that families cannot turn consensual love marriages into an “honor” issue. The judgment was passed by a division bench of Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena while hearing a petition concerning threats faced by a newlywed couple.
The case involved a couple who had married with mutual consent at an Arya Samaj temple and possessed valid marriage registration documents. The couple informed the court that the woman’s family opposed the marriage and had filed false criminal charges against them. They also expressed fears of potential “honor killing” by their own relatives.
Recognizing the seriousness of the threat, the High Court granted interim relief to the couple and stayed any arrest proceedings. The court issued strict instructions to the woman’s family, warning them not to inflict any physical or mental harm on the couple. The family was also ordered to refrain from entering the couple’s home or contacting them directly or through electronic means, including phone calls or social media.
The bench further directed the Senior Superintendent of Police in Aligarh to personally ensure the safety of the newlyweds. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 8.
In a related ruling, Justice Vivek Kumar Singh addressed interfaith live-in relationships. The court accepted a security petition filed by a couple from different religious backgrounds, emphasizing that under Indian law, interfaith live-in relationships are neither illegal nor criminal. The judgment reinforced that no individual can be deprived of constitutional rights based solely on their religion, caste, or gender.
The court specifically directed police protection for a Muslim man and his Hindu partner in Sonbhadra, underlining that the law does not permit discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, or gender.
These rulings highlight the judiciary’s commitment to safeguarding personal liberty, marital choice, and the constitutional rights of adults, including protection against threats from family members. The decisions set a strong precedent for the protection of couples in consensual love marriages and interfaith relationships across India.
