Top court sets aside recruitment rejection, says consensual relationships between adults cannot be treated as moral misconduct
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has delivered a significant ruling on consensual premarital relationships, holding that consensual sexual relations between adults cannot be treated as a breach of character or moral misconduct. The judgment came while hearing a case related to the rejection of a candidate by the Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board.
The apex court clarified that not every consensual romantic relationship necessarily leads to marriage, and failure to marry cannot automatically be interpreted as deceit or bad character. The ruling is being seen as an important clarification on how “moral turpitude” should be interpreted in recruitment decisions.
Supreme Court Verdict on Premarital Relationship and Character Assessment
The case pertains to Gajula Tirupati, who was selected for the post of Stipendiary Cadet Trainee Police Constable (SCTPC) in Telangana. However, his candidature was rejected on grounds of alleged “bad character” after details of a past consensual relationship and related legal dispute were considered by the recruitment board.
Tirupati had disclosed information regarding a prior case filed by a woman from his village following the end of a long-term relationship and his subsequent marriage to another individual. The recruitment board treated the background as a disqualification, leading to the legal challenge.
The Supreme Court examined whether such a consensual relationship could be classified as moral turpitude affecting employment eligibility.
Key Observation by Supreme Court on Moral Turpitude
The bench, comprising Justices Manoj Mishra and Manmohan, ruled that consensual relationships between two adults cannot be automatically labelled as misconduct or character deficiency in employment assessments.
“Consensual physical relationship between adults cannot be treated as moral turpitude merely because the relationship did not culminate in marriage,” the court observed.
The court further emphasized that personal relationships and their outcomes cannot be used as a blanket criterion to assess an individual’s moral character for public employment.
Court Sets Aside Telangana Police Recruitment Board Order
The Supreme Court set aside the decision of the Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board, which had declared the candidate ineligible for the constable post based on the interpretation of his past relationship.
The bench held that administrative authorities must exercise caution while evaluating character-based disqualifications, ensuring that personal life decisions of consenting adults are not misused to deny employment opportunities.
The judgment reinforces the principle that legal and constitutional rights of individuals cannot be overridden by moral judgments that lack legal grounding.
Legal and Social Significance of Supreme Court Ruling
The verdict is expected to have wider implications for recruitment processes across government departments, especially in cases involving background checks based on personal relationships.
Legal experts view the ruling as a reaffirmation of individual autonomy and privacy, particularly in matters involving consensual adult relationships that do not involve criminal wrongdoing.
