The Delhi High Court, in a recent order dated 25 July 2025, extended crucial relief to an interfaith couple seeking to get married, who alleged harassment and forced separation by authorities. The petitioner, Mohammad Shahnoor Mansoori, approached the court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, read with Article 226 of the Constitution of India, seeking police protection and safe house accommodation for himself and his partner, Ms. ‘X’.
“The Petitioner, a Muslim by faith, intends to marry Ms. ‘X’, a Hindu by faith. Keeping the sensitivity of interfaith relations in mind, the Petitioner seeks protection and safe accommodation from the State,” the court noted in its order.
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According to the plea, the couple has been in a consensual relationship since 2018 and had decided to solemnize their marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Fearing backlash from their families due to their interfaith relationship, the couple had approached the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East District) on 23 July 2025 to request protection under the Delhi Police SOP on Safe Houses and Special Cells for couples in interfaith or inter-caste marriages.
Despite the plea for protection, the petitioner informed the court that instead of being protected, Ms. ‘X’ was forcibly separated from him. On 24 July 2025, she was subjected to a medical examination and detained at Nirmal Chhaya Shelter Home. The petition also alleged that she was denied access to her mobile phone and not allowed to meet the petitioner, even though she had repeatedly expressed her desire to stay with him.
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“Such conduct, prima facie, amounts to a violation of the fundamental rights of both the Petitioner and Ms. ‘X’, particularly their right to liberty, dignity, and to make autonomous decisions concerning marriage, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the court observed.
Taking serious note of the allegations, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjeev Narula directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police concerned to submit a status report personally verified by him. The report must include full details of the events that occurred on 23rd and 24th July 2025 and the action taken on the couple’s protection request.
Further, the court directed Additional Standing Counsel Mr. Rahul Tyagi to ensure that a copy of the court’s order is immediately communicated to the DCP. The officer was instructed to meet Ms. ‘X’ at the shelter home the same day and record her wishes—specifically, whether she desired to live with the petitioner.
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If she confirms the same, appropriate arrangements shall be made to relocate both the Petitioner and Ms. ‘X’ to a designated Safe House today itself, in accordance with the Delhi Police SOP, the court directed.
The Registry was also instructed to forward the order via email to the concerned DCP for immediate action, and the matter was listed for further hearing on 8 August 2025.
Title: X v. STATE OF DELHI THROUGH COMMISSIONER OF POLICE & ANR