The High Court took note of the legal vacuum to govern live-in relationships and sought the Central government’s response on measures being taken to prevent adolescents with impressionable minds from living together.

The Court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking protection of life and liberty by couples in live-in relationships when the Additional Solicitor General apprised the Court of the new proposed amendment being made to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act increasing marriageable age of women to 21 years.

The Court found that despite this step, no such bill had been introduced with regard to live-in relationships.

The Court thus, flagged the problem being faced by courts where adolescents between the age of 18 and 21 years in live-in relationships were seeking protection of life and liberty from the Court.

Further, since no statute governed these relationships, once the parties attained majority, the Court could not refuse protection to them. Thus, the Union Government’s stand was sought on the issue.

“What is proposed, to try and ensure that many adolescents with impressionable minds (not actually fully matured though they otherwise, technically, are of the age of majority in terms of the aforesaid Act), do not start living together and later start regretting such decisions, obviously also causing trauma to their parents and family,” the Court said.

The case was listed for further hearing on March 21.