The Allahabad High Court has held that nobody can interfere in the peaceful life of two adults residing together of their own will.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Shaista Parveen, also called Sangeeta, and her Muslim husband alleging harassment by their family members, Justice Saral Srivastava observed, “The court has repeatedly held that where two individuals having attained the age of majority, are living together, nobody is entitled to interfere in their peaceful life.”
According to the petition, Sangeeta decided to follow Islam and after conversion, married a Muslim man.
In the petition, both claimed that they were adults and alleged that there is threat to their lives from their family members.
They sought a direction to the opposite parties for not interfering in their married life and also for protection of their lives and liberty. The petitioners claim that they are living together of their own will.
The HC made the observation referring to an SC order, in which the apex court had held that “once a person becomes a major he or she can marry whosoever he/she likes”.
“If parents of the boy or girl do not approve of such inter-caste or inter-religious marriage, the maximum they can do is that they can cut off social relations with the son or the daughter, but they cannot give threats or commit or instigate acts of violence and cannot harass the person, who undergoes such inter-caste or inter- religious marriage,” the SC had held.
The Allahabad HC has fixed February 8 as the next date of hearing into the matter and directed the petitioner’s husband to be present before it with a fixed deposit receipt of Rs 3 lakh in favour of his wife.
Source: Free Press Journal
