CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 913 of 2010
[Arising out of SLP (Crl.) No. 4010 of 2008]
Versus
Kanniammal & Anr. ... Respondents
21. While it is true that the mainstream view in our society is that s*xual contact should take place only between marital partners, there is no statutory offence that takes place when adults willingly engage in s*xual relations outside the marital setting, with the exception of `adultery' as defined under Section 497 IPC. At this juncture, we may refer to the decision given by this Court in Lata Singh Vs. State of U.P. & Anr., AIR 2006 SC 2522, wherein it was observed that a live-in relationship between two consenting adults of heterogenic s*x does not amount to any offence (with the obvious exception of `adultery'), even though it may be perceived as immoral. A major girl is free to marry anyone she likes or "live with anyone she likes".
