India, March 28 -- The Allahabad High Court has said that a married man living in a consensual live-in relationship with an adult woman does not amount to a criminal offence under the law. A division bench of Justice J J Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena made the observation while granting interim protection from arrest to two petitioners in the case.

Staying their arrest, the court said, "There is no offence where a married man is staying with an adult woman in a live-in relationship with her consent. Morality and law have to be kept separate. If there is no offence under the law, social opinions and morality will not guide the court."

The matter came before the court after an FIR was lodged by the woman's mother, alleging that her 18-yea...