Live-in relationship not valid if one of the partners is married: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court recently ruled that a live-in relationship cannot be considered legitimate if one partner is already married. In a June 7 order, Justice RMT Teekaa Raman emphasized that adults in extramarital relationships should not label them as "live-in," condemning such terminology as inaccurate. \r

The court was hearing an appeal by P Jayachandran challenging a trial court decision. Jayachandran and Margarette Arulmozhi lived together without formal marriage, despite Jayachandran being married with five children. They jointly purchased a house, registered in Arulmozhi's name via a settlement deed. \r

After Arulmozhi's death in 2013, Jayachandran revoked the settlement, claiming sole ownership. The High Court upheld the trial court's ruling that without a divorce from his legal wife, Jayachandran's relationship with Arulmozhi couldn't be legally recognized as marital. \r

The property was consequently granted to Arulmozhi's other legal heirs after her father's demise during the case.