8 Totally Legal Things For Which Unmarried Couples Are Harassed In India

Our country, unfortunately, despises love. It doesn’t matter if it’s same-sex love or love before marriage. In our country, we find any excuse to make other people’s life difficult. Have you ever gone out with your someone special and been stared at as if you’d stolen something?

In India, one of the most serious issues is that individuals are too preoccupied with assisting others to take care of their own affairs. It must be addressed. It can’t be neglected that it is happening in every country. Even though public displays of affection are prohibited under India’s constitution, this does not restrict you from holding hands in public. It aimed to prevent individuals from having intimate in the park.

New low & new level of moral policing by Indira Park Mgmt in Hyd! A public park is an open space for all law abiding citizens, including consenting couples across genders. How can ‘marriage’ be criteria for entry! @GHMCOnline & @GadwalvijayaTRS this is clearly unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/4rNWo2RHZE

— Meera Sanghamitra (@meeracomposes) August 26, 2021

The problem is primarily with the so-called moral guardians. of our society. And the most serious issue is that they are elderly aunts and uncles with nothing better to do. It is people’s thinking that makes having a relationship with someone who is not their spouse unacceptable. Why? People require gossip, and this provides it.

Here is the list of several totally legal things in India for which unmarried couples are harassed:

1. Checking a hotel room together

If you’ve ever checked into a hotel room with your partner without tying a knot, you’ve probably received a few looks from the other guests. While many hotels do not allow unmarried couples to stay together, there is no legislation in our country that bans them from doing so. According to a report, it is not a criminal offence for an unmarried couple to share a hotel room.

2. Living together without being married

Indian society has never welcomed live-ins and is unlikely to do so in the future. While the Supreme Court has deemed live-in relationships to be lawful, staying with your partner outside of marriage is still considered a crime in our culture.

Live-in relationships are allowed in India, according to the Constitution, and the practice of two adults living together cannot be regarded as illegal or unconstitutional in any situation.

3. Public display of affection

PDA is, without a doubt, deemed inappropriate in our country. Remember how an unmarried couple was accosted, beaten, and thrown off a train for hugging one other? That is the state of our society. While Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code stipulates that conducting obscene activities or using obscene language in public can result in punishment, authorities frequently utilise it to harass unmarried couples.

4. Romantic intercourse in a personal place

In our country, which is often referred to as the home of the Kamasutra, sex is still considered immoral. Although it is a normal process, many are cautious to discuss it as if it were an infectious disease. We’ve heard our parents and relatives state that having sex before marriage is a sin throughout our adult lives.

Unmarried couples cannot be harassed for having consenting intercourse in private locations, according to Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

5. Child born to couples during live-in relationship

Children born to live-in partners are frequently labelled as illegitimate and subjected to derogatory remarks. According to the Supreme Court, if a man and woman live under the same roof and have been cohabiting for several years without getting married, it will be concluded that they live as husband and wife and that the children born to them are not illegitimate, under Section 114 of Evidence Act.

6. Sitting in a public place with opposite gender

Let’s face it, this has occurred to all of us at some point. People have given you those ‘looks’ whether you’re seated with your closest friend, boyfriend, or siblings of the opposite gender. Remember how, back in the day, certain campaigners battered and humiliated many young and even old unmarried couples on Valentine’s Day? No law indicates that sitting with your lover in a public area is prohibited.

7. Travelling together

Unmarried couples are frequently hounded when they travel together in our country, even though it is perfectly legal to travel and stay with your partner. There are several things that unmarried couples must consider while travelling together, from picking the ideal hotel to maintaining the appropriate amount of distance in public areas.

8. Purchasing an asset together

Unmarried couples must answer a slew of questions when purchasing an item jointly, whether it’s a house or a car. Are you certain? Who is going to foot the bill? What if you split up? When unmarried couples spend their own money, which they have earned by their blood and sweat, on anything with their partner, they are bombarded with a slew of useless inquiries.