Allahabad High Court bars protection for live‑in relationships when male partner is under 21

The Allahabad High Court, in the case of Shajiya Parveen v. State of U.P. (2026), ruled that it cannot grant constitutional protection to a live‑in relationship where the male partner is below the legal marriageable age of 21. The petition involved a 20‑year‑old Muslim woman and her 19‑year‑old Hindu partner, who sought relief under Article 21 after facing family pressure.

Justice Garima Prashad held that statutes such as the Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act uniformly set 21 years as the minimum age for males, and that even permissive provisions of Muslim personal law on puberty marriage do not apply to live‑in arrangements. Granting protection would effectively endorse a substitute for a marriage prohibited by law, and therefore the court denied the relief sought.