At present, India has no laws governing rights of people who decide to live together. The subject isn't easy to pin down and is likely to give rise to a heated debate.For instance, does such a relationship constitute marriage and, if so, for how long do partners have to cohabit before such a bond becomes recognised? Key areas that the report will focus on include legality and enforceability of such relationships, besides outlining rights and liabilities of partners.It will also examine whether a live-in relationship would amount to a one that's in the nature of marriage as defined in the Domestic Violence Act 2005 and whether the dependent in the relationship has a right to alimony in the case of a break-up.The commission will study factors such as duration, domestic arrangements, sexual relations, children, socialising in public and conduct of the partners to recommend conditions to determine what constitutes a live-in relationship.The commission, which has held several meetings with experts and women's rights activists in this regard, took up the matter following a Supreme Court order in November 2013 asking the government to frame laws for the protection of women in such relationships and any children that are part of them.The apex court order said that a live-in relationship is not a crime or a sin but expressed its concern over the absence of any provisions in the law covering such a bond in the event of its breaking as it's technically not a marriage.The court noted that given the increasing number of such relationships, there is need for adequate and effective protection. "Parliament has to ponder over these issues, bring in proper legislation or make a proper amendment of the act," said the order.These are some of the key observations made by the apex court that the commission will look into. It will also examine whether harassment or failure to maintain a dependent would amount to domestic violence within the meaning of Act related to it.