HC tells Bijnor SP to provide police protection to interfaith couple

PRAYAGRAJ: Directing the Bijnor superintendent of police (SP) to provide police protection to an interfaith couple, the Allahabad high court has held that nobody can interfere in the peaceful life of two adults residing together of their own free will.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by one Shaista Parveen aka Sangeeta and her Muslim husband, alleging harassment by the family members.

Justice Saral Srivastava observed on January 6, “The court has repeatedly held that where the two individuals having attained the age of majority, are living together, nobody is entitled to interfere in their peaceful life.”

According to the writ petition, the first petitioner Shaista Parveen aka Sangeeta decided to follow Islam and, as such, she converted to that faith.

After conversion, she solemnised her marriage with a Muslim man, who is the second petitioner in the writ petition.

Both the petitioners have claimed that they are majors and alleged that there was a threat to their lives from the family members.

The petitioners filed this writ petition for a direction to the opposite parties (family members) for not interfering in their married life and also for protection of their life and liberty. The petitioners claimed that they are adults and living together out of their own free will.

Alleging that their family members had got annoyed, the petitioners said they were being threatened and harassed.

Earlier, in a judgment dated December 18, 2020, a division bench of the Allahabad high court had reunited an interfaith couple while noting that the woman (Shikha) had expressed that she wanted to live with her husband Salman aka Karan, and therefore, she is free to move as per her own choice without any restriction or hindrance being created by the third party.