Nowadays, unmarried couples book rooms in hotels on some pretext or the other. But do you know whether this is legal or not and will there be any legal action if you are caught in the hotel?
Let us know the answers to these important questions.
Any unmarried couple can legally book a hotel room anywhere in India. There is no law in India that prevents any unmarried couple from staying in hotels.
According to the Indian Constitution, every adult has the right to live his life freely. If both the persons are above 18 years of age and are staying in a hotel with mutual consent, then it is legally justified. It is not considered a crime under any section of the Indian Justice Code (BNS).
Some hotels are not suitable for couples. They may refuse to give rooms to unmarried couples due to local police or social pressure. They may ask for identity proof and may refuse if they do not have a local address.
In such a situation, book only ‘couple-friendly hotels’ (hotels like OYO, Fab Hotels or Goibibo). Keep government identity cards like Aadhaar, PAN, passport etc. with you. Maintain peace and do not misbehave.
The thought of police coming to the hotel to harass them also troubles the couples a lot. If the hotel is running legally and everything is legal, then the police has no right to interfere. But sometimes investigation can be done on the basis of morality.