Live in relationships, however long they may be, will not confer any right to raise matrimonial disputes: HC

Litigants who file petitions either for divorce or restitution of conjugal rights must first establish the conduct of a valid marriage under law. Live in relationships, however long and continuous the

Litigants who file petitions either for divorce or restitution of conjugal rights must first establish the conduct of a valid marriage under law. Live in relationships, however long and continuous they might have been for, will not confer any legal right upon the couple to raise a matrimonial dispute, the Madras High Court has ruled.

Justices S. Vaidyanathan and R. Vijayakumar held so while dismissing an appeal preferred by a woman who had pressed for restitution of conjugal rights with a man whom she had never married legally. They held that a Family Court in Coimbatore had rightly rejected her plea and hence there was no merit in the present appeal.

According to the appellant, a 42-year-old mother of two children, her first husband had deserted her and thereafter she had obtained divorce from him. In 2013, she reportedly married the present respondent by exchanging rings and by him making her wear a Metti on her toes in the presence of their close relatives and friends.