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Runaway couples seeking protection share their ordeal
They are adults and in love, but are constantly living in fear and in hiding
They are adults and in love, but are constantly living in fear and in hiding. Their only crime is that they chose to spend life with a partner of their own choice, and want to stay in a live-in relationship. However, with this decision comes a threat to their life and they can be seen knocking the doors of the high court.
In Haryana’s Jind village, a 19-year-old girl was locked in house, her studies were stopped and search for a bridegroom was started. Her only fault was that she loved a man of her choice.
While the girl is a Jat and an MBBS aspirant, her 20-year-old love interest belongs to a backward class and has studied till Class 12.
The girl, wishing not to be named, said: “We have been in a relationship for nearly four years. He was my senior in school and we have been very good friends since 2017. He is a very sensible person; even his family is very loving and caring. I love him and want to spend life with him.”
While their love was blooming and both were focusing on making careers, so that they could lead a comfortable life afterwards, her family got to know about their relationship. “They did not let me attend coaching classes or online classes. My father took away my phones and I was not allowed to step outside.”
The youth, who belongs to an adjoining village, said: “She called me one day, saying that her parents are planning to marry her to someone else. It was then we decided to run away.”
The couple wants to be in a live-in relationship, till the time the boy attainsthe marriageable age. But they feared a threat to their life and hence reached the Punjab and Haryana high court in Chandigarh, seeking protection, but their plea was dismissed on May 14.
The order mentioned that if such protection is granted then the social fabric of the society would be disturbed.
The youth, who had very high hopes, said: “We live in fear all the time. The cancellation of the petition has added more stress.” The couple is living in hiding; they switch places frequently, so that they don’t get caught.
Their advocate, Vishal Mittal, said: “Protection to life and liberty is every person’s right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Any person can seek protection. Judges should not go into the validity of their relationships but into this aspect of protection.”
Another advocate, wishing not to be named, said: “Ideally, judges must go by one law, which is written in the Constitution. But often personal prejudices and laws of society come in their judgment. In law, personal opinion has no space.”
‘Around 40 such cases daily’
AdvocateSarvesh Kumar, who represented another such couple from rural Punjab,said that daily around 40 such petitions seeking protection are listed in the high court.
His clients, Arshdeep Kaur and Gurpinder Singh, both 24, fell in love two years ago. While Singh does a private job, Kaur’s family wanted a son-in-law who has a government job. “I tried convincing my family but they were too adamant. I know that I cannot live without him; so we planned to run away,” said Kaur.
The couple reached Chandigarh and got married at a gurdwara on May 24. This has agitated the girl’s family, who are looking for the couple. “My family is threatening Gurpinder’s family and his relatives. They are even giving death threats,” said Kaur, who is quite scared as her brothers and father are “very aggressive”. “They will kill us; hence, we sought protection. We are living in hiding and have switched off our mobile phones.”
Even their plea for protection was rejected by the high court on May 14, on the ground that representation lacks “necessary particulars” regarding manner and mode of alleged threat.
Sarvesh Kumar cited numerous cases wherein different judges had denied protection to several couples in live-in relationships. “In one such case from Amritsar, the girl was later allegedly killed by her family in the name of honour,” he said.
However, while a high court bench on May 18 held that a live-in relationship is not prohibited nor does it amount to the commission of any offence, another bench observed that such relationships may not be acceptable to all, but could not be termed illegal. Hence, the denial of protection to a live-in couple would be a mockery of justice, it ruled.
The court on May 21 gave protection to one such couple from Karnal, who are now staying at a safe home.
