Can't live without her: UP man, 20, in love with 35-year-old mother-in-law

"Love is merely a madness,” William Shakespeare wrote in As You Like It — a line that has echoed for centuries, describing the strange power of love to make people defy reason and convention.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri, however, that age-old idea of love taking an unexpected turn has surfaced in a real-life family drama — one involving a woman, her son-in-law and a relationship that has left both families struggling to make sense of it. The intensity is so high that the woman wants to leave her family and her kids to stay with the man.

The woman’s husband died around two years ago. According to information available in the case, she and her son-in-law developed a relationship after the latter got married into the family. The two had also lived together for two months at the man's home.

What began as a relationship kept within the family eventually turned into a confrontation when relatives came to know about it.

The situation escalated when the woman and the young man travelled to attend a family gathering. Some of her children were also present there. When they objected to the relationship, the woman refused to back down and insisted that she wanted to live with her son-in-law.

With tensions rising between the two families, the matter eventually reached the police.

The woman and the young man were brought to the police station, where the cops spent considerable time trying to counsel them and resolve the dispute.

But even at the police station, neither appeared willing to give up on the relationship.

The young man maintained his position that he wanted to live with him. He also agreed to take responsibility for the woman's young kids.

When he was asked about his wife, he also said that he was ready to leave her for the relationship with her mother-in-law.

When he was asked whether their relationship was ethical, he said that even if it is not, he has no option as he is madly in love with the woman.

The woman, too, stood by her decision and reportedly insisted that she wanted to live with the young man.

The relationship has also created tension between the two families, with relatives opposing it and trying to convince the woman to return home.

For now, police have counselled both sides and sent them back home. Police said that if they receive a formal complaint or written application in the matter, appropriate action will be taken according to law.

Meanwhile, the unusual case has attracted considerable attention on social media, where the story of the mother-of-five and her son-in-law has been widely shared.- EndsInputs from : Pushpendra SinghPublished By: Akash ChatterjeePublished On: Sep 17, 2026 13:36 IST