Kerala HC allows teen couple to stay as live-in

In a landmark verdict, the Kerala High Court on Friday declined to separate a 18-year-old boy and a 19year-old girl who were in a live-in relationship, saying it cannot close its eyes to the fact that such relationships have become rampant in the society.

A division bench of justices V Chitambaresh and K P Jyothindranath pronounced the judgment while dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed by the girl's father. The Supreme Court had recently held that an adult couple has a right to live together without marriage, while asserting that a 20-year-old Kerala woman, whose marriage had been annulled, could choose whom she wanted to live with.

In his petition, the girl's father alleged that his daughter was in the illegal custody of the boy. Both the girl and the boy are Muslims and hail from Alappuzha district. Dismissing the plea, the bench said, "We cannot close our eyes to the fact that live-in relationship has become rampant in our society and such living partners cannot be separated by the issue of a writ of habeas corpus, provided they are major.

"The constitutional court is bound to respect the unfettered right of a major to have live-in relationship, even though the same may not be palatable to the orthodox section of the society," it said.

The girl and the boy had appeared before the court on receipt of notice in the writ petition and said they were intensely in love with each other since school days.

The girl's father submitted the boy has not completed 21 years of age and hence is a 'child.