From Taboo to Tolerance: Changing Social Attitudes towards Live-in Relationships in Urban India after Supreme Court?s Recognition

This paper examines how live-in relationship are being perceived and regulated in Urban India, tracing their journey from being socially unacceptable to being legally acknowledged. Factors like globalization, rapid urbanization and a changing outlook among the youth have led to cohabitation challenging conventional notions of marriage and the rigid caste system. While conservative groups and community panchayats still oppose such unions, often resulting in social conflict, the judiciary has proactively intervened to fill the vacuum left by the legislature. Further, recent legislative developments at the state level, such as mandatory registration of live-in relationships under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), indicate a shift towards formal recognition of cohabiting couples. Ultimately, the paper highlights how judicial activism and evolving legal standards are reshaping social acceptance in urban India and emphasizes the urgent need for a comprehensive central law to regulate live-in relationships.