The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- The Supreme Court has ruled that legal protection under Section 498A, which covers cruelty against women by husbands or in-laws, extends to women in long-term live-in relationships that qualify as being 'in the nature of marriage'.
- The court said such relationships are a common reality in urban India today and that women in them deserve the same protection as married women.
- It clarified that the relationship must involve two consenting adults and meet the conditions of a marriage-like relationship, and that the burden of proving this lies on the woman partner.
- The ruling is limited to Section 498A cases and will not apply to any other provisions of law.
What to watch next
- How courts interpret and apply the 'relationship in the nature of marriage' criteria in individual Section 498A cases
- Whether this ruling prompts similar questions about coverage under other laws, which the court explicitly excluded
- Legal debate over the burden of proof placed on women partners to establish the nature of their relationship
Coverage1
1 report
Indian-language1
All filed from India
Named India · Supreme Court
The 1 report is listed beside the record.
Ask this story
Answers cite the reports above, or say they can't.