"Historic Verdict in LGBTQIA+ Rights Case"
The Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its highly awaited decision on the petitions seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriage today. On May 11, a five-judge constitutional bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and P S Narasimha, concluded its verdict deliberation after an extensive 10-day hearing.
Throughout the extensive hearings, petitioners represented by senior advocates, including Mukul Rohatgi, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Raju Ramachandran, Anand Grover, Geeta Luthra, KV Viswanathan, Saurabh Kirpal, and Menaka Guruswamy, emphasized the equality rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. They advocated for the recognition of unions that would enable LGBTQIA individuals to lead a "dignified" life similar to heterosexual individuals.
In contrast, the Central government has been opposing these petitions, contending that India's legislative policy has deliberately recognized unions exclusively between biological men and biological women.
On May 3, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it intended to establish a committee led by the cabinet secretary. The committee's purpose would be to assess administrative measures that could address the "genuine concerns" of same-sex couples without delving into the matter of legalizing their marriages.
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