The Allahabad High Court found that “living relationships have become an integral part of life and must be viewed from the perspective of personal autonomy rather than the perspective of social morality”.
On two separate petitions filed by living interfaith couples, a division bank comprised of Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava stated, “Living relationships are approved by the apex court and must be viewed from the perspective of personal autonomy, which arise from the right to life and personal freedom guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, instead of the terms of social morality “.
The two couples had filed separate petitions alleging that the girls ‘families interfered in the petitioners’ daily lives. One petition was submitted by Shaira Khatun and her partner, a resident of Kushinagar (both major and in a live-in relationship for two years), and another was submitted by Zeenat Parveen and her partner in Meerut (both also major). They approached the High Court after the police refused to help.
The court stressed that the right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution can be protected at all costs and found that the police have an obligation to protect the petitioners’ rights. Therefore, in its decision, the court ruled that the police must carry out their duties in accordance with the law in the event that petitioners turn to the police with complaints about threats to life and liberty.
The court order comes after the Delhi Supreme Court arrested Uttar Pradesh police for harassing a young adult couple.
