Mumbai: In a bold step to "legalise" the live-in relationships, Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal suggesting a woman involved in such a relationship for a "reasonable period" should get status of a wife.
The proposal is based on recommendations of the Justice Mallimath Committee which said if a man and a woman are living together as husband and wife for a reasonably long period, the man shall be deemed to have married the woman according to customary rights of either party.
The committee had also mooted that the definition of the word 'wife' under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc), be amended to include a woman, living with the man like his wife for a reasonably long period.
The proposal was passed at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
As per Section 125 of the CrPc, the woman would even be entitled to alimony, an official said.
As CrPC is in the concurrent list of the Central Government, the cabinet proposal would be sent to the Centre for obtaining President's assent, the official said.
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