New Delhi, Dec. 19 -- In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court has ruled that a married individual cannot legally engage in a live-in relationship with a third party without first securing a formal divorce.

Consequently, the court refused to grant legal protection to a couple in such a domestic arrangement.

The petitioners, both adults living together as a couple, sought protection against alleged life threats from a respondent. However, the state counsel opposed the petition and said that one of the petitioners was still legally married to another individual and had not sought a divorce.

During the hearing, presiding Justice Vivek Kumar Singh observed that the right to personal liberty is not absolute. It cannot be used to by...