RUHAT SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present petition has been filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for issuance of direction to respondent Nos.1 to 3 to protect life and liberty of the petitioners at the hands of respondent Nos.4 to 9 as they are in a 'live-in' against the wishes of their family members.

(2.) As per the averments made, both the petitioners are major and the date of births of petitioner No.1 is 22/9/2003 and petitioner No.2 is 17/7/2003. The copies of their Aadhar cards are appended as Annexures P-1 and P-2, respectively. The petitioners are in a 'live-in relationship', on account of which family members of petitioner No.2 are giving threats to them that on finding an occasion they will forcibly take her back and kill them.

(3.) The issue as to whether marriage is a must for providing protection to a couple in a 'live-in relationship', keeping in view the fundamental rights ensured under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, has been considered by the different Benches of this Court in CRWP 4521-2021 titled as Pardeep Singh and another vs. State of Haryana and others decided on 18/5/2021; CRWP-8081-2021 titled as Goutam Kumar and another vs. State of Punjab and others decided on 26/8/2021 and also by the Division Bench in LPA 769-2021 titled as Ishrat Bano and another vs. State of Punjab and others decided on 3/9/2021 and in LPA 1678-2014 titled as Rajwinder Kaur and another vs. State of Punjab and others decided on 9/10/2014.