Living together in a ‘Live-in Relationship’ between a Hindu and a Muslim is ‘Haram’ under Islamic law : Allahabad High Court

(A live-in relationship means a man and a woman living together without marriage)

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) – Under Islamic law, it is considered ‘haram’ (forbidden, against religion) for a Hindu and Muslim couple to live together in a live-in relationship. Such a relationship cannot be used as a means to evade the provisions of the anti-conversion law or the moral tenets of personal laws. Stating this, the Allahabad High Court refused to grant protection from arrest to a Muslim man and a Hindu Dalit woman, who had sought relief claiming they were in a live-in relationship.

In this case, the woman’s father had complained about the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Since the couple failed to produce concrete evidence that they were actually in a live-in relationship, the court dismissed their petition and declined to stay their arrest.

The petitioners argued that they were in love, were consenting adults, and had the right to live together with anyone of their choice. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that to live together, the legal process prescribed under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law must be followed.

Definition and punishment for ‘Zina’

The court noted that under Islamic law, any sexual relationship outside of marriage is termed ‘zina.’ The punishment for zina is 100 lashes. In Islam, any act of physical intimacy, such as kissing, touching, or other sexual conduct before nikah (marriage), is considered haram.

Misuse of live-in relationships to bypass the anti-conversion law

On 29th July 2025, a division bench comprising Justice Sangeeta Chandra and Justice Brij Raj Singh observed that live-in relationships are being misused in Uttar Pradesh to circumvent the law enacted to prevent forced religious conversions.