Legal Recognition Of Live-In Relationships In India

Shivani Garg, LLM (Family Law), Amity University, Noida

ABSTRACT

“With Changing Social norms of legitimacy in every society, including ours, what was illegitimate in the past may be legitimate today.”

In a live-in relationship, an unmarried couple lives together under the same roof in a longterm relationship that is analogous to a marriage. This is increasingly seen as a viable substitute for marriage in today's society, particularly in the urban cities. In India's major cities, such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, live-in partnerships are quickly becoming the norm rather than the exception. Although there is no official definition of "living together," the term refers, in most contexts, to the act of a couple cohabitating in the absence of marriage. The law in India does not impose any rights or responsibilities on the individuals who are involved in a live-in relationship. The legal position of any children who are born as a result of such a relationship is likewise ambiguous; hence, the court has sought to clarify the meaning of the term "live-in relationship" through the use of a number of different rulings. The purpose of this research is to investigate the present legal landscape of live-in relationships in India. In addition to this, the research attempts to investigate current trends in the attitude of the Courts in India toward awarding various rights to live-in partners in India through judgements.