Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Bombay High Court: Adults Free to Choose Life Partners
A young woman from Nagpur left home when she was 17 to be with a young man she liked.
Her mother wanted her to come back home, so she asked a court for help.
This kind of request is called a habeas corpus petition.
A judge from the Bombay High Court talked to the young woman directly.
She told the judge she left home on purpose and wants to stay with the young man.
The judge said that grown-ups can choose who they want to live with and marry.
He also said children are not their parents' property.
The mother said the man kept her daughter locked up when she was younger, but the judge did not agree.
Because the daughter was not being held illegally, the court said no to the mother's request.
The judge explained that the welfare of the child is the most important thing in such cases.
The Bombay High Court ruled that adult children are free individuals, not their parents' property.
The Nagpur bench dismissed a mother's habeas corpus petition seeking custody of her adult daughter.
The daughter left home at age 17, was traced by police and returned to her mother, then left again.
She told the court she left of her own accord to live with a young man and wished to remain with him.
The court said a habeas corpus petition can succeed only if illegal custody is proved, which was not established.
- Who
- The Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench, a mother who filed the petition, her adult daughter, and a young man.
- What
- The court dismissed a habeas corpus petition seeking custody of an adult daughter, ruling that adults may freely choose their life partners.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Where
- Nagpur, before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.
- Why
- The daughter left home of her own accord to live with a partner of her choice, and no illegal custody was proven.
Mother's Side
Daughter and Court's Side
Departure from home
Mother's Side
The mother sought custody of her daughter, who was seen on CCTV leaving with a young man after going for tuition classes.
Daughter and Court's Side
The daughter told the court she left her mother's home of her own accord to be with the young man and wished to continue living with him.
Illegal confinement
Mother's Side
The mother alleged that the man had kept her daughter in illegal confinement while she was a minor.
Daughter and Court's Side
The court rejected the claim of illegal confinement and observed that the daughter is now a major with the right to choose her life partner.
- Court
- Bombay High Court, Nagpur bench
- Petition type
- Habeas corpus
- Petitioner
- Mother of the adult daughter
- Subject
- Adult woman's choice of life partner
- Key ruling
- Adult children are free individuals, not parents' property
- Reason for dismissal
- Illegal custody not proven
- Governing principle
- Welfare of the child is paramount in custody matters
- Dispute location
- Nagpur