The Supreme Court’s decision to extend the protection against domestic cruelty to women in live-in relationships that are “in the nature of marriage” is a welcome attempt to bring criminal law in step with evolving social realities. By holding that Section 498A of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code — and its equivalent, Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — can apply where the relationship is founded on a genuine intent to marry, the SC has adopted an expansive reading of the law. It acknowledges that domestic abuse derives its force from unequal power and coercion,........

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