March 31, 2026
NEW DELHI – Despite social taboos surrounding the concept of live-in relationships, the Census 2027 will recognise live-in couples as married ones to better capture the evolving household structure in the country.
As per the self-enumeration portal of the Census 2027, couples living together without formal marriage certificates will be allowed to list themselves as married under the household listing operations phase, where enumerators collect details about households.
Under the 45-day houselisting operations phase, starting from April 1, the first 15 days will be for self-enumeration, followed by a 30-day enumeration period. The number of married couples living in a household is among the 33 questions being asked in the household listing operations phase of the census.
According to the Frequently Asked Questions mentioned on the Census portal, “if a live-in couple considers their relationship as a stable union, they should be treated as a married couple for the Census.”
The portal allows people to self-declare their marital status, and the categorization is based on voluntary declaration rather than requiring a marriage certificate.
What are the legal views on live-in relationships in India?
Like many other countries, there are no specific laws recognising live-in relationships as a legal union in India. However, according to the Supreme Court, a live-in relationship without tying the knot is not a criminal offence or illegal. Partners living together without marriage may not have the same legal rights as married couples, but they have legal protection under the law.
In S.P.S.Balasubramanyam v. Suruthaya, the Supreme Court held that if a man and woman cohabitate under the same room for a number of years, there will be a presumption of marriage under Section 114 of the Indian Evidence Act, and the children born to them will be legitimate, according to LiveLaw.
According to a recent Allahabad High Court verdict, a married man cannot be prosecuted for participating in a consensual, live-in relationship with an adult woman. The court also observed that its actions to protect citizens’ rights could not be “dictated by social opinion or morality.”
Census 2027 schedule
The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases namely Phase I–House Listing and Housing Census popularly known as HLO during six months from April to September, 2026 in a period of 30 days as per the convenience of the State/UT Governments along with option of Self-enumeration of 15 days period just before the 30 days period of house-to-house houselisting work. In this phase information about condition of houses, amenities available to the household and assets possessed by the household will be collected. Questions of the Phase I of the Census have been notified in January, 2026.
Phase II–Population Enumeration (PE) will be conducted during February 2027 (UT of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and States of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh Phase II will be conducted during September 2026). As decided by CCPA, enumeration of Castes will also be done during second phase of Census. In phase II, information on demographic, socio-economic, education, migration, fertility etc. will be collected from each individual. Exact dates of the Population Enumeration and question to be covered in this Phase will be notified in due course.