– Photo : amar ujala
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Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court said in an important decision on Thursday that live-in relationship of an inter-religious couple cannot be approved by the court like marriage. With this comment, the court rejected the petition of a girl and a young man from different religions of Ayodhya in which it was requested to cancel the FIR lodged against the young man on the charges of luring the girl away and taking her away. This matter is related to Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Illegal Conversion Act. In which, on the request of the girl, the court ordered to send her to the Women’s Protection Home located at Prayag Narayan Road, Lucknow, until she gets married as per her wish under the legal provisions.
This order was given by the division bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Narendra Kumar Johri on the petition filed by the girl and the young man. The counsel for the petitioners said that both are adults and have been living together as friends for a long time. When the girl expressed her desire to marry the young man, the girl’s family threatened to kill her. In such a situation, the girl left her house willingly and started living in a live-in relationship with the young man. In such a situation, the FIR lodged against the youth deserves to be cancelled.
On the other hand, opposing the petition, the government lawyer said that both belong to different religions. Both of them have not applied to convert their religion under Section 8 and 9 of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Illegal Conversion Act 2021. In such a situation, their living in relationship is against the provisions of the Act and the FIR does not deserve to be cancelled.
After hearing the case, the court said that both the petitioners belong to different religions. They did not marry as per law and are living in a live-in relationship. Whereas Section 3(1) of the 2021 Act prohibits such live-in relationships. In such a situation, living in such a relationship of the petitioners cannot be approved like marriage. In view of this, unless they marry as per law, the FIR cannot be cancelled. However, the court also gave the liberty to the petitioners that if they feel there is a threat to their life or any crime, then they can apply to the court under the legal provisions or file a complaint.
After this, on the request of the girl, the court ordered her to be safely sent to the Women’s Protection Home at Prayag Narayan Road, Lucknow, till she gets married as per her wish under the legal provisions. After the hearing of this case, the family members of the girl tried to drag her away and take away her Aadhaar card. Later the girl’s Aadhar card was returned to her.