UP woman moves in with female partner she met on Instagram, leaves husband, 3 kids
A woman from Kanpur's Maharajpur area left her husband and three children and went to Delhi to live with a female partner she met on Instagram, police said. After tracing and bringing the two women to the police station, officers allowed the woman to leave after she made it clear that she wanted to stay with her partner.
The woman had left her marital home on September 6 without informing her family. Her husband subsequently approached police and filed a missing person complaint.
During the investigation, police examined her call details and found that she had been in frequent contact with a 25-year-old Delhi woman working at a private firm. The two had met on Instagram around a year ago and had developed a relationship, police said.
Police contacted the woman from Delhi and traced the Kanpur woman to her location. Both were subsequently brought to Maharajpur police station.
Senior police officer Ashutosh Singh spoke to the woman and tried to counsel her. She, however, told police that she was in a relationship with the Delhi woman and wanted to live with her.
Police also called her husband and three children to the station. The children reportedly asked their mother to return home, but she refused and maintained that she wanted to stay with her partner.
ACP Singh said police could not force the woman to return to her family as she was an adult and had clearly expressed her choice. "We tried to counsel her and also made her meet her children. However, she said she wanted to stay with her friend," the ACP said.
The woman was subsequently allowed to leave with her partner. Police said there was no legal basis to detain her merely because she had chosen to live with another woman.LAWYER EXPLAINS CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
Senior lawyer Tatvesh Agarwal said an adult woman has the legal right to decide whom she wants to live with, and that living with another woman does not by itself constitute a criminal offence.
However, he said this does not remove the woman's legal responsibilities towards her children. Under Section 20 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, children can seek maintenance from their parents.
Agarwal said that if the children approach a court, their mother could be directed to contribute towards their maintenance and upbringing.
The case thus involves two distinct legal questions: the woman's right to choose her partner and live with her, and the three children's right to seek maintenance from their parents.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 21:35 IST
