i dont think the issue was her seeing her fiancee without pardah or even going out with fiancee because of na-mehrami.
They seem like a liberal family, and the fiance and the girl have met and talked to each other before...
the kids lied to their families, so they could be alone (understandbly for a romantic just for two birthday dinner)...
but the misinformation provided did cause the family some aggravation or worry...
and the family must have wondered why are both of them telling lies to meet alone?
could it be that they are thinking of taking the relationship to the next level even before marriage?
or could that sort of thing happen even if they are not thinking/planning it?.
.. so i can see thats why the mother in law is asking her son not to meet his fiancee alone now (after he has been found to lie to meet her alone once)...whats the hurry, they are going to be married sooner or later anyways...
parents have to protect their kids....what if things do get out of control...and the relathionship does unexpectedly move to the next level when both of them are alone before nikah...parents have to think of al scenarios...
as far as dinners with colleagues go, you don't usually go out with just one person...very rarely, its usually groups of colleagues, or your whole department... and its part of the job and your corporate culture etc to participate in such things...as long as her sister in law is not lying about these things to her mother, i dont think the sister in law can be compared to the situation certifiedcute had created for herself...
if you are going to start a mehram/namehram debate, then according to that her sister in law shouldn't even have a job, and should just quit working, because when u work you do have to interact with your male colleagues/superiors (who are technically na mehram)... if you go to school then u have to interact with your male profs (na mehram again)... so should her sister in law drop out of school or quit work now? the whole sisterinlaw thing is just so irrelevant to the problem that cutecertified was facing after providing misinformation to her own parents....