Shraddha Walkar, whose murder came to light six months after her killing by her boyfriend in May this year, had chosen live-in relationship after fighting with her family. Shraddha’s family was not ready for her marriage to Aaftab Amin Poonawala - the accused - because of him being from a different religion.
However, Shraddha, being an adult, chose to live with Aaftab, while not abiding by her parents’ decision. While the couple did not get married, they started living with each other under one roof.
live-in relationships are becoming common among the youth. As per a survey conducted in 2018, 26 percent of the country's 18- to 35-year-olds prefer a life-long relationship rather than marriage. 80 percent of the youth in the country believe that living in a relationship is not recognised in society.
While the youth is embracing the live-in culture, there is a section that believes that live-in relationship plays a vital role in Shraddha's murder. They believe that girls or boys in live-in relationships have no rights because there is no law regarding live-in relationships in the country.
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But the courts have interpreted the rights of live-in women in many cases. Courts have tried to give the same rights to live-in women as to married women.
Court rulings on liv-in relationships:
- Domestic Violence Act, 2005, the protection provided in section 2F thereof, also extends to women in live-in relationships.
- The Supreme Court had also ordered that a live-in couple, who had been living together for a long time, would be considered legally married.
- Not only this, if a live-in couple has a child, they will also have to give rights to their ancestral property.
