In the 21st century when everyone is adopting the elements of western culture in all their livelihoods, there is still one thing that has yet not got a social acceptance and is looked at with scorn. That controversial element is Live-In Relationship.
As per the dictionary it is an alliance in which two persons live together without any legal bonding between them. With the supreme court of India questioning the decision of Delhi high court on terming this as "walking-in and walking-out" relationship, it still stands as a highly debatable issue. With the conflict arising between the freedom of choosing a life partner after a certain age and the moral and ethical values of marriage its legality is always in question.
As per the results of various surveys, a lot of reasons have arose to back this kind of relationship. With the freedom-seeking ideology, this alliance seems to be a good one with no strings of commitment attached to it.
There is always a personal freedom where partners are free from responsibilities and obligations. It has no legal hassles at all which even gives you the comfort of moving out a relationship any time you want. It is a step one can take before entering into conventional wedlock. This rehearsal of marriage can bring all sorts of problems forefront so that one can take the final decision. In fact the nonacceptance of society exempts the couple from following the otherwise necessary diktats of society. Keeping aside the advantages live-in relationship have over conventional marriage there are people who simply see no need to marry to live together.
Even with legal permission by the judicial body of India, live-in relationships are still considered a no-go. With a country having the greatest family system all over the world and that too with a strong tradition and culture live in relationships have a long way to go. The biggest demerit of such an alliance is the question on sanctity of the "old fashioned" wedlock. Live-in relationships can't match the social recognition and legal rights enjoyed by the married couples. It also lacks the stability in relations provided by the conventional marriage. Also there is a issue of lack of emotional support in cohabitation as compared to the wedlock. A major drawback involving both the legal and social aspect is the effect on development of a child born out of such relationship. In case of break-up the custody of children also arises as a point of conflict. This kind of relationship also faces the strong regional and communal beliefs that stands against pre-marital sex (which I won't discuss here...)
So analyzing both sides of the coin there are a few questions arising out of it. Are we finally seeing the rapid decline of the conventional institution of marriage? and though live-in relationships come under the ambit of the Domestic Violence Act and Right to Maintenance Act, The problem is to determine who is in a relationship with whom? If a married man enters into a live- in relationship, only the legal wife is eligible for benefits, the second woman gets none. So between the two women, who supersedes who? That's the debate.
Thee Indian society might have frown upon live-in relationships but the increase in number of people opting for such alliance indicates a degree of acceptance. Hence, there is a urgent need of a law that fully undertakes live -in relationships and may include a agreement between the two partners before slipping into such cohabitation.
