Bhopal/Jabalpur, Oct. 23 -- The Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday sent a Hindu woman to a government-run shelter to "think about her decision" to marry a Muslim man and asked her not to talk to him till November 12, when they are supposed to get married under the Special Marriage Act which regulates interfaith marriages.

A single bench of justice Vishal Dhagat also ordered the police to provide protection to both the 29-year-old man and the 27-year-old woman, noting that every citizen has a "fundamental right" to decide about their personal life.

According to the court details, the interfaith couple applied for marriage at the additional district magistrate office in Jabalpur on October 7. The woman's family learnt about it after a not...