Allahabad HC Raps UP Police for Interfering in Consenting Adults’ Marriages; Warns DGP of Judicial Intervention

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court has sharply criticised the Uttar Pradesh Police for pursuing cases against couples who have married of their own free will, ruling that police have no role in the marriages of consenting adults and that any interference is unlawful.

The observations were made by a bench of Justice J J Munir while quashing an abduction case filed by the father of a young woman who had eloped and married a man she loved. The court said such frivolous cases serve only to burden the judiciary and distract police from their actual duty of investigating crimes.

"Police must focus on investigating crimes. They have no authority to interfere in the lives of adults. This message needs to be heard across the country," the bench said, issuing a stern warning to the Director General of Police to take corrective action — or face judicial intervention.