'Marriage not merely about living together'

Indian society seems more outraged than relieved by the Supreme Court statement that living long enough with a partner is as good as being married. Bangaloreans speak out

Indian society seems more outraged than relieved by the Supreme Court statement that living long enough with a partner is as good as being married. Bangaloreans speak out

WHAT' is Bangalore's take on the SC ruling? MiD-DAY finds out.

"THE court should reconsider presuming the authenticity ofu00a0 marriage. It is beyond their means to say if the couple is married or not without proof. Certain steps need to be followed and marriage is not about merely living together. It is the acceptance of responsibilities and the knowledge of what it brings about. In this particular case, an old lady was being denied her insurance money and unless there was a registration or a ceremony to validate the marriage,u00a0 there shouldn't have been a scandal."
Pandurang Katti of the Save Indian Family Foundation

Living in and happy: Haris and Tracy

"If individuals can prove that they have been living in for a number of years, they can use the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act to prove their point. In case of property rights, once the valid marriage is established, they can take it up with the help of the Indian Succession Act."u00a0 (As of now, however, there hasn't been any amendment expanding the current Hindu Marriage Act or The Special Marriage Act to include live-in relationships.)
Muniyappa, advocate and ex-vice chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council

"If the couple has lived together for a number of years and decide to part at some point of time, some kind of compensation should be given, be it monetary or in kind. It is totally up to the couple in question since both sides are aware of the fact that they're moving in and not getting married."
Tracy R, in a live-in relationship

"Unless the partners make joint investments, neither in the relationship should be allowed to make any kind of claim from the other person."
Haris Maqbool, in a live-in relationship

"Marriage is an agreement. If such a thing happens in the future, there may be more cases and more people may claim money or other rights. The concept of marriage will start to change over time and people may soon not have to get married at all."
Saraswathi Bai, counsellor, Vanitha Sahaya Vani

The court said
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice S B Sinha and Justice Cyriac Joseph said: "A long cohabitation and acceptance in society of a man and woman as husband and wife goes a long way in establishing a valid marriage".

This was in response to the case of Challama who had appealed to the court, questioning the legal status of her late son's live-in partner.