Kerala HC allows Muslim couple to continue live-in relationship

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In a landmark verdict, the Kerala high court declined to separate an 18-year-old boy and 19-year-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 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 it can't close its eyes to the fact that live-in relationships have become rampant in society and such partners cannot be separated by the writ of habeas corpus. The bench, while considering the fact that she stayed with the boy for quite some time and she is a major, allowed her to continue living with the youth.

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