Maintenance Rights of Live-In Partners In A Shared Household In India: Issues And Challenges

  • Unique Paper ID: 205292
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 1
  • PageNo: 6061-6069
  • Abstract:
  • In India, live-in relationships are getting more common over time, yet there exist many unanswered questions about partner’s rights. Despite the fact courts have granted live-in partners some protections, there remains a number of unresolved difficulties as there is no clear legislative framework in place. The piece analyses the difficulties caused by insufficient judicial decisions, public opinions, and a lack of standardised legislation in respect to right to maintenance of partners in a shared household. This manuscript explores the evolving judicial landscape in India regarding the socio-legal recognition of cohabitation. It critically analyzes the transition from the traditional interpretation of wife under Section 125 CrPC (now BNSS) to the broader domestic relationship framework under the PWDVA, 2005. The paper highlights the evidentiary hurdles and the legislative vacuum that persists despite landmark Supreme Court interventions. Given the contemporary relevance of family law reforms in India, we believe this work aligns perfectly with the scope of your esteemed journal. Furthermore, using a variety of legal provisions from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Parsi personal laws, this article examines the maintenance rights of cohabiting partners in a shared household. Lastly, this research paper makes suggestions for reforms to policies, including expanding the PWDVA’s scope, protecting live-in partners rights, and acknowledging the maintenance rights of relationships that happen under shared household.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{205292,
        author = {Ojal Ilamkar},
        title = {Maintenance Rights of Live-In Partners In A Shared Household In India: Issues And Challenges},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {6061-6069},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=205292},
        abstract = {In India, live-in relationships are getting more common over time, yet there exist many unanswered questions about partner’s rights. Despite the fact courts have granted live-in partners some protections, there remains a number of unresolved difficulties as there is no clear legislative framework in place. The piece analyses the difficulties caused by insufficient judicial decisions, public opinions, and a lack of standardised legislation in respect to right to maintenance of partners in a shared household.
This manuscript explores the evolving judicial landscape in India regarding the socio-legal recognition of cohabitation. It critically analyzes the transition from the traditional interpretation of wife under Section 125 CrPC (now BNSS) to the broader domestic relationship framework under the PWDVA, 2005. The paper highlights the evidentiary hurdles and the legislative vacuum that persists despite landmark Supreme Court interventions. Given the contemporary relevance of family law reforms in India, we believe this work aligns perfectly with the scope of your esteemed journal.
Furthermore, using a variety of legal provisions from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Parsi personal laws, this article examines the maintenance rights of cohabiting partners in a shared household. Lastly, this research paper makes suggestions for reforms to policies, including expanding the PWDVA’s scope, protecting live-in partners rights, and acknowledging the maintenance rights of relationships that happen under shared household.},
        keywords = {Live-In Relationships, Live-in Partners, Domestic Relationships, Personal Laws, Shared household.},
        month = {June},
        }

Cite This Article

Ilamkar, O. (2026). Maintenance Rights of Live-In Partners In A Shared Household In India: Issues And Challenges. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 13(1), 6061–6069.

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