NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): Expanding the scope of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, the Supreme Court on Monday held that the provision, which deals with cruelty by a husband or his relatives, would also apply to partners in live-in relationships. Section 498A refers to a woman’s husband or his relatives subjecting her to cruelty. “Section 498A is held to be applicable to ‘live-in relationships’ that qualify as ‘relationships in the nature of marriage’ with the intent to marry being established as an intrinsic part thereof;“The ‘live-in relationships’ protected by Section 498A, it is stated for ample clarity, are those that are between two consenting adult individuals. The proposition of law as laid down shall be limited to Section 498A IPC only, and this extended interpretation shall not affect any other provision,” the bench said. The judgement came while dealing with a question whether a man who is in a live-in relationship can be prosecuted under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.