The Allahabad High Court has quashed an FIR filed against a married couple, sharply criticising police action in cases involving consensual relationships between adults and calling such interventions a violation of personal liberty.

A bench of Justices JJ Munir and Tarun Saxena observed that law enforcement agencies were “doing great disservice” by registering FIRs and pursuing young couples who have married of their own free will. The court said such actions divert policing away from actual crime and create unnecessary interference in constitutionally protected freedoms.

The case arose in Saharanpur after the woman’s father lodged an FIR against the man under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alleging kidnapping or inducement for marriage. The couple approached the High Court, stating that they had lawfully married out of their own free will.

The court took note of the marriage certificate issued by authorities in Uttarakhand and interacted with the woman, who confirmed that she had willingly married the petitioner and wished to continue living with him.

In its order dated April 21, the bench held that the FIR amounted to a “serious inroad into personal liberty” of both individuals. It further observed that once a person is a major, the Constitution fully protects their right to choose a life partner.

“No one has the right to tell a major where he or she will stay or with whom he or she will live, marry or spend his or her life,” the court observed, stressing that familial objections cannot override individual autonomy under law.

The judges also criticised a pattern of police intervention in such disputes, noting that missing complaints should not automatically be converted into criminal cases targeting consensual relationships. The court said, “The Constitution does not permit an adult, whatever the relationship, to dominate or rule over the will of another adult who is a major under the law.”

The bench further warned that in several instances, police action in such matters was “absolutely illegal” and in some cases amounted to offences, particularly when used to forcibly separate couples or return women to their families.

While quashing the FIR, the court directed the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police to take remedial measures to prevent misuse of criminal provisions in similar cases. It also issued a restraining direction to the complainant, the woman’s father, not to interfere in the couple’s marital life.

With PTI inputs