The Court expressed concern over being inundated with protection petitions from runaway couples—stemming largely from ignorance of the State-issued SOPs following the Kajal case. Justice Rohit Kapoor pointed out that many petitions are filed without couples first giving police or other authorities time to act or appealing administrative decisions as outlined in the SOPs.

The bench observed that both the public and police personnel are either unaware of these SOPs or not adhering to them. Counsel for the State governments and Chandigarh UT officials assured the bench that the SOPs will now be widely disseminated in relevant forums and among lawyers, and compliance will be closely monitored .

These SOPs, derived from the High Court’s earlier judgement in Kajal v. State of Haryana, mandate a swift administrative response—fact-finding, protection measures, and disposal within prescribed deadlines—and include an appeal mechanism before any judicial intervention is sought .

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