Live-in partners can be punished for cruelty under section 498A: Karnataka HC
Karnataka HC said provisions of Section 498A of IPC, which punishes cruelty, can also apply to live-in relationships and void/voidable marriages. "The expression 'husband'...isn't confined to a man in a legally valid marriage," said HC. It was hearing a plea by a man who sought quashing of a case by his second wife, saying they weren't legally wed.