The Bench clarified that the “live-in relationships” protected under Section 498A are those between two consenting adults. Why did the Supreme Court extend Section 498A protection to live-in relationships? Court examined whether Section 498A could be interpreted to include a man in a “live-in relationship”, although the provision specifically uses the word “husband”. The court rejected the argument that women in live-in relationships already had adequate protection under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Amicus curiae Nina R Nariman also supported the application of Section 498A to live-in relationships that qualified as “relationships in the nature of marriage”.