Allahabad High Court grants police protection to interfaith live-in couple

In a relief to an interfaith live-in couple, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted police protection to them while hearing a plea filed by their minor daughter, claiming the former in-laws of the child’s mother threatened the couple, reported Live Law.

Hearing the plea, the Allahabad High Court division bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Vipin Chandra Dixit observed that the biological father and mother of the child are of different religions and have been living together since 2018. The court also noted that the child is presently one year and four months old.

In its observation, the bench noted that the child’s parents are stated to be “apprehensive of certain threats from the private respondents who are the erstwhile in-laws of the biological mother”, reported the legal portal.

It added that following the demise of her erstwhile husband, the biological mother of the child had started living with the biological father.

“In our view, under the Constitutional scheme the parents, who are major, are entitled to live together, even if they have not undergone marriage,” the Live Law quoted the judges as saying.

Earlier, the child’s parents submitted that the police authorities are not willing to register the first information report against the in-laws and are humiliating them when they approach the police station to lodge the FIR.

Hearing this, the bench directed the Superintendent of Police concerned to ensure that the FIR is registered if the parents approach the police station concerned, added the report. The bench also directed the SP to provide security to the child’s parents “in accordance with law”.

Bail for accused in rape case 

Earlier in the day, in another case, the Allahabad High Court Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh said a woman “herself invited trouble” and was “responsible” for an alleged act of rape while granting bail to the accused.

The survivor claimed that she was intoxicated and met the man at a bar. He raped her twice in his relative’s apartment after she had agreed to go to his place for rest, she said, Live Law reported.