PRAYAGRAJ, March 27 -- The Allahabad high court has said that a married man having a consensual live-in relationship with an adult woman is not an offence under law.

"Morality and law have to be kept apart. If there is no offence under the law made out, social opinions and morality will not guide the action of the Court for protecting the rights of citizens," observed the bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena while granting interim protection from arrest to two petitioners in the case.

Petitioners Anamika and Netrapal pleaded that Anamika was living with Netrapal out of her free will but sometime back, Anamika's family lodged an FIR against Netrapal at Jaitipur police station in Shahjahanpur, and police are likely t...