Fri Jan 24 18:12:00 UTC 2025: ## Allahabad High Court Highlights Growing Concern Over Live-in Relationships While Granting Bail
**Varanasi, India** – The Allahabad High Court has expressed concern over the increasing prevalence of live-in relationships among young people, highlighting the lack of social sanction for such unions and their potential impact on societal moral values. The observation came during the bail hearing of Akash Keshari, a Varanasi resident charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act for allegedly having a relationship with a woman under false pretenses of marriage.
Justice Nalin Kumar Srivastava granted Keshari bail, noting that while live-in relationships lack societal approval, their rising popularity stems from the perceived ease of avoiding commitment. The court emphasized the urgent need for a framework to address this trend and safeguard societal morals.
Keshari’s defense argued the relationship was consensual and that the woman, an adult, had been in a six-year live-in relationship with him. They denied allegations of a broken marriage promise and an abortion. The court’s decision to grant bail appears to have been influenced by these arguments. However, the judge’s broader comments underscore a growing judicial concern about the implications of live-in relationships on societal values.
First Piper 