Rajasthan HRC head says live-in relationships 'social terrorism': Report

Justice Prakash Tatia said that live-in relationships were more detrimental than triple talaq

Rajasthan Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice Prakash Tatia described live-in relationships as "social terrorism", arguing that such practices were more detrimental to women's rights than triple talaq and that there was a need for regulations and safeguards, reported the Indian Express on Sunday.  

According to the national daily, Justice Tatia, who was appointed as the chairperson of the state's human rights body in 2015 after serving as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, issued an order in February this year seeking people's opinion on live-in relationships. Justice Tatia intends to submit a report on the matter and make recommendations to the government. 

Explaining what he meant by "social terrorism" to the national daily, Justice Tatia said that live-in couples brought a "sense of insecurity" in areas where they lived and that their presence created a "sense of fear, which virtually creates terror". "...There may be fights. I am not saying the people who are fighting are right but it’s the reality...," Justice Tatia said. He added that the neighbours of such a couple would have to think twice before letting their daughter or son go to the couple’s house. 

However, Justice Tatia told the national daily that he was not making a case for live-in relationships to be outlawed. Instead, he wanted them to be regulated to safeguard the rights of women and children. "What is the status of their children? We have to bear in mind that society has yet to accept live-in relationships... such children are not accepted in schools or in society," he said, according to the report.

According to the report, Justice Tatia was concerned over how in a live-in relationship, a man could just leave a woman without needing "to say a single word", unlike in the case of triple talaq.   

Speaking to the national daily, he asked: "The question is whether it’s a better alternative to marriage? What is the control of society... who will intervene when things go wrong?" 

Justice Tatia is not the only functionary in the state who is concerned about live-in relationships. The Hindustan Times reported earlier this month that the Rajasthan State Women’s Commission is set to launch a campaign against live-in relations. According to the report, the body's chairperson, Suman Sharma, said that such relationships were "against our culture". 

Sharma, according to the report, said that women were the ones who suffered the most when such relationships ended. She added that there was no provision to help women in such a case. 

According to the national daily, the commission may be the first such state body in the country to launch a campaign advising women against live-in relationships.

In April 2015, according to a Times of India report, the Supreme Court had ruled that if an unmarried couple was living together as husband and wife, then they would be presumed to be legally married. Further, according to the report, the apex court said that the woman would be eligible to inherit the property after the death of her partner.