“Necessary police protection shall be provided to petitioners and their family members”: with that direction, the Calcutta High Court has ordered police protection for an interfaith couple, Shorab Hussien and another petitioner, as they restart their marriage formalities.
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Kolkata: Disposing of a writ petition, the Calcutta High Court has directed the police to provide protection to an interfaith couple, and to their family members, during the formalities of their marriage, after the couple alleged threats from members of religious fundamentalist organisations [Shorab Hussien and Another v. State of West Bengal and Others].
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, sitting as a single judge on the Appellate Side, passed the order in W.P.A. 25486 of 2026. The threats are the petitioners’ allegations; the Court has recorded them as such and has made no finding on them.
The order
The petitioners were allowed to take fresh steps to solemnise the marriage in accordance with law. If they decide to proceed, they are to inform the Inspector-in-Charge, and the order provides:
“necessary police protection shall be provided to petitioners and their family members.”
How the matter reached this point
By an order of September 25, 2026, the Court had earlier asked the Inspector-in-Charge of Nabadwip Police Station to meet the Marriage Registrar. On the next date, the order records, the Registrar indicated that he had no difficulty in the petitioners taking fresh steps for the marriage. The State’s counsel undertook to file the police officer’s report.
What the petitioners said
Two adults of different faiths, the petitioners had planned to marry on July 29, 2026. They postponed the wedding after, they said, they were threatened by members of religious fundamentalist organisations. The statutory notice period for the marriage expired on September 25, 2026.
They asked the Court to direct the police to help them restart the process. They also alleged that the Marriage Registrar had himself been threatened and was reluctant to proceed.
Why the order matters
The order is a short, practical one. It does not decide any contested question of fact; it ensures that a marriage the petitioners are entitled to solemnise in accordance with law can go ahead without the threats they allege, by tying the protection to a named police officer and to the marriage formalities themselves.
It also shows the writ court’s usual role in such cases: securing the conditions in which two adults can exercise their choice, while leaving the allegations of intimidation untested.
Case Title: Shorab Hussien and Another v. State of West Bengal and Others [W.P.A. 25486 of 2026]
Bench: Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, Calcutta High Court
Date of Order: October 7, 2026
Appearances: Advocates Samim Ahammed, Arka Ranjan Bhattacharya, Saloni Bhattacharya and Gulsanwara Parvin for the petitioners; Advocate Amrita Pandey for the State