The Allahabad High Court extended protection to a couple who obtained a mutual-consent divorce but later remarried for the sake of their two children, while observing that the institution of marriage should not be treated lightly over trivial disputes.
Deciding a habeas corpus plea, the Allahabad High Court set at liberty a 31-year-old man whose father was alleged to have confined him after he converted to Islam and decided to marry. After interacting with the man in court, the Bench held that an adult’s choice of faith under Article 25 and of partner under Article 21 cannot be overridden by family disapproval, and found no material to doubt that his choices were voluntary.
The Allahabad High Court ruled that UP’s anti-conversion law does not prohibit interfaith marriages or live-in relationships between consenting adults. The Court said the right to live with a person of one’s choice, regardless of religion, is protected under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.