Moral values cannot be defined in a legal system, its meaning changes with times and prevailing circumstances. The things which were not moral earlier have now come under the purview of moral values, said former Judge and Chief Justice Ramesh Garg.
He was delivering a keynote address at a seminar on 'Moral values, conjugal life and the recent court ruling' organised by Oriental University hereon Saturday.
Talking about recent court ruling on Rsillicit relationship' and growing strain in conjugal life, he said questioning court ruling in such cases and doubting judges' integrity in such cases are not justified as judges do not frame laws, they just interpret the laws and give justice accordingly under the legal parameters.
Explaining moral values in the society he said whatever is better for anyone may not be good for someone. Moral values cannot be taught and it is just not a responsibility of an individual, rather it is a duty of the whole society, justice Garg said adding that according to him helping the needy and helping those who are in pain are genuinely moral values.
He said, "Whenever we talk about moral values, we automatically talk about illicit relationship. Our society thought does not approve of Rsillicit relationship' in any form, however under section 498-A of the IPC, a man's illicit relationship cannot come under the purview of criminal cruelty, though it may become a reason for divorce between a husband and a wife."
Referring to a recent court ruling, justice Garg said that as per the relevant section of the law, a person cannot be held guilty of instigating his wife to commit suicide on account of an illicit relationship with another woman as an illicit relationship cannot be defined in legal framework and as such the court has no right to punish a person because of his illicit relationship with another woman.
Senior journalist Pratik Shrivastav on the other hand questioned the recent rulings of court on 'live-in and illicit relationships' stating that it appears verdicts of Indian courts are being influenced by the western thoughts and mindsets.
Oriental university vice-chancellor, HS Yadav said preserving morality in the society is not the duty of an individual rather it is a collective responsibility of the whole society. The word morality is not restricted to men and women relationship. Rather talking about individual's morality, we must talk about government and political morality in the society.