Its transformative power can be inferred from the remarks from the bench of the judges, B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, in the Supreme Court. In an earlier instance, the court deplored the use of the anti-rape law in such cases. But the comments of the bench regarding physical intimacy before marriage seemed puzzling since live-in relationships are legal in India. Social change cannot be denied and the Supreme Court in its wisdom has never done so. Physical relationships between consenting adults before marriage are not questioned legally; they fall under privacy that the Supreme Court interpreted as a part of fundamental rights.

Source: The Telegraph February 19, 2026 03:01 UTC