India, Aug. 14 -- An individual's choice to marry someone from a different faith is safeguarded under the fundamental right to life and personal liberty, even if it challenges social norms and family expectations, the Delhi high court has observed on a petition by an interfaith couple.

The court also ordered the city police to submit a report on allegations that police officers forcibly separated the couple in July and detained the woman at a state-run shelter home. The Delhi police, which was told to ensure the couple's safety at its hearing on July 25, has been asked to continue providing them with police protection.

A bench of justice Sanjeev Narula heard the matter on August 8, following a plea filed last month by a 26-year-old Musl...