The law presumes a couple to be married if they have lived together for long as man and wife, the Supreme Court said in a judgment on Monday.
A Bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Vikram Nath said “the law presumes in favour of marriage and not in a state of concubinage”.
Though the presumption of marriage could be challenged, it would be a “heavy burden” for the one who seeks to deprive the relationship of a legal origin. The challenger has to prove that the couple is not married, Justice Nazeer, who authored the judgment, observed.
