The Kerala High Court allowed a lesbian couple to live together as life partners in Kochi on Tuesday. The decision came in a view of the recent judgment passed by the Supreme Court that allows consensual same-sex relationships. The division bench comprised of Justice CK Abdul Rehim and R Narayana Pisharadi who were hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed by 40-year-old Sreeja S.
Sreeja had approached the High Court with a petition to get her 24-year-old life partner Aruna released from the custody of her partner’s family. The Division Bench then ordered the Aruna to be produced in court.
Earlier Aruna was living with her life partner Sreeja when Aruna’s parents filed a police complaint alleging that their daughter was missing. Taking action against the complaint, police produced Aruna in the court and she was taken away by her family and kept forcibly with them.
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Aruna’s parents also took her to the mental hospital and admitted her for the treatment at Thiruvananthapuram. However, Aruna remained in touch with Sreeja over phone. Later the doctors allowed Aruna to meet Sreeja but asked for court’s order to let them live together.
Sreeja approached the High Court and appealed to allow them live together. She said, “I have visited my partner at the hospital and she is willing to come with me, but the hospital authorities are demanding a court order for the same.”
