Prayagraj, April 17 - The Allahabad High Court has said that a couple who get married voluntarily against the wishes of their parents cannot claim police protection unless there is a genuine threat to their life and liberty. The court gave this ruling while pronouncing its judgment on a petition filed by a couple seeking protection. It said that the court can provide protection to a couple in a suitable case but in the absence of any threat, such a couple should “learn to support each other and face the society.”
Justice Saurabh Srivastava made the observation while hearing a writ petition filed by Shreya Kesarwani and her husband seeking police protection and a direction to the private respondents not to interfere in their peaceful married life. The court, after perusing the arguments made in the petition and noting that there was no serious threat to the petitioners, disposed of their writ petition.
Disposing of the writ petition, the court said, “In view of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Lata Singh vs. State of U.P. and another case, there is no need to pass any order to provide them police protection, where it has been held that courts are not there to provide protection to such youth who have eloped to marry as per their wish.”
The court also said that there is no cogent reason to conclude that the life and liberty of the petitioners are in danger. “There is not a shred of evidence that the private respondents (relatives of any of the petitioners) are likely to physically or mentally attack the petitioners,” the court said.