Last Updated on March 28, 2024 by News Desk
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted protection to a 19-year-old couple who live together against their parent’s wishes. The court expressed concern over the decision to live together, stating that while certain rights have been conferred by the Constitution, it is not necessary to enjoy and enforce them.
The couple, both 19-year-olds, feared they were under threat from the girl’s family. Justice Subodh Abhyankar urged the court to record its concern about the choices youngsters are making these days and that while certain rights have been conferred by the Constitution, it is not necessary to enjoy and enforce them as well.
The court directed the station officer of the local police station to provide his mobile number to the couple in case of an emergency. The court also asked the counsel representing the couple to inform the teens about the concerns they expressed regarding their relationship.
The court emphasised that India is not a country where the state provides any allowance to the unemployed and uneducated and that early life struggles can drastically affect one’s chances of enjoying other opportunities, reducing acceptance in society.
The state opposed the couple’s petition, arguing that the boy was not even of marriageable age and that protection would promote promiscuousness. However, the counsel representing the couple cited a Supreme Court judgement, which stated that an adult couple, even if not yet at the legal age for marriage, has the right to live together.
