The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed an application for protection by a woman, who is living in a consensual relationship with her lover without a divorce, claiming a threat from her husband and in-laws.
Dismissing the petition, the single-judge bench of Justice Manoj Bajaj reprimanded the woman and imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on her and her lover.
Sonu and her lover Sukhvir Singh had filed the petition in the High Court, seeking protection from Sonu’s husband and his family members. In the petition, Sonu said she is married to Gurjeet Singh and has three children. Six months ago, she came in contact with Sukhvir Singh and they fell in love with each other.
When Sonu’s husband and family came to know of this, he threatened to kill Sonu and her lover. Both had given a demand letter to the Patiala police chief about this and sought protection but the police did not help them, due to which they approached the High Court.
During the hearing on the petition, Justice Manoj Bajaj said such a relationship cannot be considered valid without a divorce. It is an unholy alliance. Further the petition has been filed without any sound basis, which is an abuse of legal authority.
The High Court rejected the petition and ordered the woman and her lover to deposit a fine of Rs 25,000 with the District Legal Services Authority, Patiala. Along with this, the High Court also ordered the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Patiala to ensure the recovery and deposit of the fine amount.
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