Youth are getting misguided and it is affecting the institution of marriage: Brig. K.G.Behl (Retd)

India is known for its spiritual heritage and marriage is one of the institutions which binds people giving certain responsibilities which are recognized by the society and utmost of all those is the expansion of family for which permission is granted to have sexual relations. This institution of marriage is being reared for thousands of years and is working satisfactorily. But certain people of present generation who have proposed live-in relationship do not want commitments which are one of the essentials of marriage and still wish to live together without calling it marriage. They want to live together as partners without any binding. It is alright when such a live-in relationship is in the persons of same sex, of course they will have to cut off all relations which they might have had earlier. In this relationship they will have no issues. But when it comes to persons of different sex there is likelihood of getting a child. Since it is not a marriage the child will find difficulty in establishing rights for various activities in life. Though in some recent cases the courts have tried to assign them certain rights but are not enough to enable them to have what a child born in a normal marriage has. Since it is not a marriage the live-in relationship should not be allowed to have a child.

Thelive-in relationship partners can be allowed to adopt a child but in no case they be allowed to have a child since it is not a marriage and in marriage alone the society allows a couple to have child. In this case the live-in relationship is just like living together as friends and not like a married couple. Unless certain restrictions are put for such live-in relationship, it is creating situations where youngsters are being mislead and are neither getting into the holy institution of marriage nor finding any alternate to that which is creating unnecessary delays in their proper marriages. There should be a clear distinction between the marriage and live-in relationship specially where a birth of a child is involved and in no case children be allowed in live-in relationship. Moreover the responsibilities of the two partners be fully defined and laid down if any breakdown or death of a counterpart takes place. In case of birth of any child the relationship be annulled and they be formally married so that the child do not suffer. It should be clearly mentioned that in live-in relationship they cannot have a child. Even when they adopt any child they have to be formally married so that the child would get the rights to which he or she is entitled.

There is no law which bans unmarried couple living together, but the legal sanctity for such relationship is not there. The aggrieved party cannot get any relief legally. Though the concept of Live in Relationship looks good in the face of it, deeper, it has many complications. The emotional turmoil a person undergoes when the other person walks out is unbearable. Marriages get the support of the families, but live in relationships are not supported by families and the burden of managing them entirely lies with the two persons.

Since live-in relationship is causing lot of troubles where persons have adopted it without bothering about its larger implications at later stage and it is spoiling the institution of marriage which is sustaining and has a long history, Govt. should take initiative to stop such relationships in the interest of the society or frame such strong rules where it does not interfere with the institution of marriage.