Patna: The Patna High Court has reinforced the principle that an adult woman has the right to choose her life partner, ruling in favour of a woman who sought to live with her husband despite opposition from her family.
A division bench of Justices Rajiv Ranjan Prasad and Saurendra Pandey heard a habeas corpus petition on Wednesday filed by Abhijeet Kumar, who said he had legally married Ruchi Kumari under the Special Marriage Act on March 4. He claimed that her parents and brothers were forcibly preventing her from leaving home.
Following the court’s orders, police produced Ruchi before the bench. Speaking in chambers, she told the judges that she wished to live with her husband and was being threatened and restrained by her family.
The court observed that both parties are adults and their marriage is legally valid. Citing the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Shafin Jahan vs. Ashokan, the judges stated that interference in the marital freedom of consenting adults is impermissible.
Ruchi was formally declared free to live with her husband. The court also directed local police to ensure her safety and warned her family against creating any threats or obstructions.
