Prayagraj, Jan. 27 -- While quashing a life imprisonment sentence, the Allahabad High Court observed that the influence of Western ideas and the concept of live-in relationships is leading to an increase in the tendency among young people to live together without marriage.

The court also noted that criminal cases are often filed when such relationships break down.

A bench of Justices Siddharth and Prashant Mishra-I made these observations while setting aside the conviction and sentence, including life imprisonment, awarded to the appellant Chandresh by the Special Judge (POCSO Act), Maharajganj, in March 2024.

The appellant had been convicted under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping for marriage), and 323 (voluntarily causing h...