Make Available Safe Houses In Punjab, Haryana For Runaway Couples: Court

THE PUNJAB and Haryana High Court has suggested that safe houses be made available in each district of Punjab, Haryana, as well as in UT Chandigarh for the protection of couples who marry against the wishes of their families.

The bench of Justice Avneesh Jhingan suggested these steps while hearing a runway couple’s plea seeking protection after they received no help from police.

Justice Jhingan said, “A number of such petitions are being filed by couples who performed marriage against the wishes of their parents and relatives. This court is also being approached by couples stating to be in a live-in relationship…The non-acceptability of inter-caste marriage is a social problem which needs to be dealt at multifarious levels. The inter-caste is not the only reason for non-acceptability of marriage, there are numerous other socio-economic reasons…”