Inter-caste marriage: SC orders protection to Jaipur couple fearing threat for life

The Supreme Court on Monday directed Delhi and Rajasthan police to ensure safety and protection to an inter-caste couple—a computer engineer and his doctor wife— who face serious threats to their life after they married against her parents' wish.

A vacation bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and Surya Kant directed Delhi and Rajasthan police to provide adequate security to the couple if required by them, and not to take any coercive action against the couple, who had to run for their safety and change their places of residence.

Senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra and advocate Durga Dutt mentioned the matter before the bench.

The court ordered registration of their writ petition and decided to take it up on an urgent basis. The court, after hearing the counsel, issued notice to the Centre and Rajasthan government on the petition by Jaipur-based couple – Ankit Suklecha and his wife Nidhi Yadav.

“When two adults consensually choose each other as life partners, it is a manifestation of their choice, recognised under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. Such a right has constitutional sanction and thus needs protection and cannot succumb to class honour or group thinking,” the petitioner contended.

The man and woman —aged 32 years and 26 years respectively claimed to have married on February 28 at a temple in Delhi. The marriage was registered on March 2 in Ghaziabad.

The woman filed a complaint to the Station House Officer, Jyoti Nagar, Jaipur seeking protection from family members, including her father, who was an influential person and ran a medical college.