Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ajay Pratap Singh called for the Union government to bring a law declaring live-in relationships illegal. Speaking at the Rajya Sabha on July 26, the MP claimed that there has been violence against women by their live-in partners and a law banning live-in relationships would help reduce them. To make his case, the MP brought up the case of Saraswati Vaidya, who was murdered by her live-in partner in June 2023.

Citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the BJP MP stated that around 38% of all murders of women were committed by their intimate partners. He added, “Marriage and family ties are a cultural heritage in India. Our religious scriptures and customs do not recognise live-in relationships.”

However, Ajay Singh acknowledged that the Supreme Court has recognised live-in relationships but that does not make it ethical. He added that if something is unethical, it should be made illegal as well. The MP said, “The government should take cognisance of this [violence by intimate partners] and bring a law so that this culture of live-in relationships can be stopped and women can be protected.”

It is to be noted that there has been a 30% rise in the number of domestic violence complaints in 2023. According to reports, there have been 6,900 complaints of domestic violence and more than 30,900 complaints registered by the National Commission of Women (NCW) across different categories of violence against women.