Supreme Court to Decide If Live-In Partner Can Be Prosecuted Under Section 498A IPC & Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita In a significant development with far-reaching implications for criminal and matrimonial law, the Supreme Court of India has stepped in to examine whether a man in a live-in relationship —described legally as a “relationship in the nature of marriage”—can be prosecuted for cruelty under Section 498A IPC or its equivalent provision under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) . A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh has stayed further proceedings in the matter while framing the core legal issue for authoritative determination. 🔎 Background of the Case The matter arose from a complaint filed by a woman alleging: Cruelty and physical harassment Dowry demands Attempt to burn her Abuse during a live-in relationship The accused, who reportedly had a subsisting marriage, approached the Karnataka High Court seeking quashing of the case, arg...