Can UP interfaith live-in couples get police protection?

Why in News? The Allahabad High court has given varying interpretation on  live in relationship and police protection.

In 15 orders by six benches of the Allahabad High Court over past year, 12 couples were denied cover on definition of ‘live-in’, three got relief.

so the question is , Can interfaith couples in a consensual live-in relationship fearing a backlash get police protection in Uttar Pradesh or not ?

What has been the recent interpretations?

• The High Court dismissed pleas for police protection from at least 12 interfaith couples in live-in relationships since August 2023, signalling in eight of them that UP’s Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, criminalises such relationships.
• In all 12 cases, the court was informed by both partners that they were in a consensual relationship.

In other 3 cases — again, consensual, inter-faith — including one dating back to January last year, the court granted police protection to live-in couples under the same law but with conditions. In two of these cases, the key rider was that the couple had to register their marriage under the new anti-conversion law within a stipulated time period.

• These 15 cases were heard by six different benches of the High Court, and their contrasting positions assume significance since the law has been challenged in the Supreme Court along with similar laws from some other states.
• In seven of these cases, Justice Agarwal underlined that the “Conversion Act applies to relationships in the nature of marriage or live-in relationship” under Section 3(1).
• The court held that protection could not be granted as “Petitioners have not yet applied for conversion as per provisions of Section 8 and 9 of the Act.