Abstract

With the changing social norms of society, the law cannot afford to remain static, it changes with the changing social pattern of the society. The Indian society has noticed a significant change in its social structure in the last few years, it is now slowly opening its doors towards western ideas and lifestyles, one such concept is of live-in relationships. Live-in relationship i.e living together as a couple without marrying each other is being considered taboo in India, as it goes against the sanctity and sacredness of marriage. But with the changing norms of society, such relationships are being accepted in many parts of the world. The apex court of India has observed that live-in relationships are the results of changing times and they are not considered as a criminal offense and therefore they are not illegal in India. Since there is no definite legislation governing such relationships, the courts in many of the cases have issued certain guidelines for governing such relationships. This article aims to observe the current legal status of live-in relationships in India.

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