Protection Petition — When a Couple Faces Threats After Marriage

Last updated: 11 July 2026 · By Advocate Manish Sharma, Faridabad · General legal information, not legal advice

The legal foundation (aapka haq kya hai)

Two adults have the right to marry by their own choice; the Supreme Court has affirmed this repeatedly — Lata Singh v. State of U.P. (2006) directed police across the country to protect inter-caste and inter-religious couples from harassment and violence, and Shakti Vahini v. Union of India (2018) laid down preventive and remedial measures against honour-based crimes. Once a valid marriage exists (or even a live-in relationship between adults, with nuances), threats from family members are an attack on Article 21 rights — and the constitutional courts respond to that directly.

Step 1 — Document, quietly and completely

1. Marriage proof: marriage certificate (registration strengthens everything), or temple/gurudwara/mosque certificate + photographs + witnesses
2. Age proof of both: Aadhaar, birth certificate, matric certificate — both must be adults (21/18 for marriage under HMA)
3. Threat evidence: call recordings, messages, screenshots, witness details of visits or confrontations — with dates
4. Safe location: shift to a place the family does not know while the process runs, if the threat is live

Step 2 — The police representation (petition se pehle ka zaroori kadam)

A written representation is sent to the district Superintendent of Police or Commissioner — for Faridabad couples, the Faridabad Police Commissionerate — stating the marriage, the specific threats, from whom, and seeking protection. This representation matters twice: sometimes it alone produces protection, and in every case it becomes an annexure showing the authorities were approached before the High Court was moved — which strengthens the petition and is the practice the Court expects.

Step 3 — The petition at the Punjab & Haryana High Court

The writ petition under Article 226 is filed at Chandigarh with the marriage proof, age proof, threat evidence and the representation annexed. These matters are listed quickly — the Court hears scores of protection petitions every working day — and the standard order directs the concerned SP/Commissionerate to verify the threat and provide protection to the couple's life and liberty, with liberty to approach the police for compliance. Where threats continue after the order, contempt and FIR routes open. The couple's personal presence requirements are minimal; much is handled through counsel. More on the Court itself: Punjab & Haryana High Court guide.

What the order does — and doesn't

Connected situations the chamber sees with these matters

Protection petitions rarely travel alone. Common companions: a habeas corpus petition where one partner (usually the wife) is confined by her family; anticipatory bail where the family has lodged a retaliatory FIR — commonly kidnapping allegations against the husband (see the urgent anticipatory bail guide); and marriage registration to convert ceremony-proof into certificate-proof. Handling these together, in the right sequence, is what keeps the couple safe and the record clean.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

Punjab & Haryana High Court — matters & process · Anticipatory bail — urgent process · Matrimonial practice