Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has reunited a man with his eight-month pregnant live-in partner after she was allegedly separated from him by her family members with the help of police officers because both belonged to different faiths.The couple, residents of Kutch district, were living together when the woman’s family objected to the relationship on religious grounds. According to the petition, her parents sought the intervention of local police, who allegedly took the woman away from the couple’s residence against her wishes.Despite pressure from her family, the woman reportedly refused to return to her parents and repeatedly expressed her desire to continue living with her partner. She was subsequently placed at the Mahila Kalyan Kendra in Bhuj.Unable to secure her release, the man approached Gujarat HC by filing a habeas corpus petition, alleging illegal detention of his live-in partner, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.When the matter came up for hearing on Aug 17, the state govt informed the court that the woman was experiencing weakness due to pregnancy. It told HC that doctors had advised her against travelling and recommended hospitalisation.Taking note of her condition, HC decided to interact with the woman through virtual mode. During the interaction, she told the court that she had voluntarily joined her live-in partner and wished to return to him.After recording her statement, the HC bench permitted the woman to reunite with her partner. However, the petitioner expressed apprehension that he could face resistance from the woman’s family members while taking her from the shelter home.Addressing the concern, the bench on Monday directed the local police to ensure that the woman is allowed to leave and join her partner without any obstruction.“The concerned police station shall make sure that the corpus (woman) is allowed to join the petitioner after following requisite procedure without any problem,” the court ordered.
