The Bench held, “Petitioner no 1 (woman) has mentioned in the petition that she is the legally wedded wife of respondents and she has, for whatever reasons, decided to go away from her husband. Can we permit them to live-in under the guise of protection of life and liberty?
“The concept of a live-in relationship may not be acceptable to all, but it cannot be said that such a relationship is an illegal one or that living together without the sanctity of marriage constitutes an offence.”
The Allahabad High Court has granted police protection to a couple who wished to live together, while observing that live-in relationships between consenting adults is not an offence.