In a world that values paperwork over emotions, one man’s love and companionship were not enough to prove his right to bid farewell to the woman he had spent years with.
The heart-wrenching journey of a middle-aged man to reclaim his beloved live-in partner’s body highlights the rigidness of a system that often fails to acknowledge relationships beyond legal definitions.
For the last 12 years, Rudra and Megha (names changed) lived together in a rented home on Garfa Jheel Road in Kolkata’s southern suburbs. They were not bound by marriage, but by love—supporting each other, sharing joys and hardships, and building a life together.
However, when Megha suddenly fell critically ill on the night of February 3, everything changed in an instant. Rudra rushed her to KPC Medical College Hospital in Jadavpur, but doctors declared her dead on arrival due to heart failure.
From the hospital, the case was reported to Garfa police station. Megha’s body was taken for an autopsy, but then a cruel reality unfolded—Rudra had no official documents proving his relationship with her. No marriage certificate, no joint bank account, no shared lease of the rented apartment in both their names.
The years of companionship, the silent understanding between them, the moments they had woven into a shared life—none of it counted in the eyes of the authorities. The system demanded proof on paper, and without it, Rudra had no claim over Megha’s body.
For 42 agonising days, Rudra knocked on every possible door—pleading with the police, the administration, anyone who could help him. But time and again, he was turned away.
Two people had built a home in love and trust, without the legal formalities of marriage, and now one of them was gone—yet the other was denied even the dignity of performing the final rites.
At last, exhausted but determined, Rudra approached the Calcutta High Court. His plea was heard on Monday, and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh delivered a verdict that finally recognised his pain.
The court ordered Garfa police station to submit its report on Megha’s death to the morgue within 48 hours and instructed that upon receiving the required document, Megha’s body be handed over to Rudra.
According to court records, he worked in a high-ranking position in a private company but had no immediate family. Megha, too, had no one left in the world. She had been adopted as a child, but her adoptive parents had died in a road accident when she was young. Left without support, she struggled to survive until she met Rudra. Together, they built a life—one that did not fit within the conventional framework of society but was built on a foundation of love and mutual care.
Rudra’s lawyer, Riddhiman Mukherjee, revealed that the couple had introduced themselves as married in Garfa to secure housing, fearing that landlords would refuse to rent to an unmarried couple. “The rental agreement was in Rudra’s name, and the electricity meter was registered under the landlord’s name. In the eyes of the system, the partnership of Rudra and Megha she was invisible,” said Mukherjee.
Despite these challenges, the police confirmed in their report to the High Court that neighbours and the landlord had verified Megha and Rudra’s long-term relationship.
“In the end, Rudra’s struggle was not just about claiming Megha’s body—it was a battle to have their love acknowledged, even in death,” said Mukherjee.
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