Same-sex Marriages Recognition Issue Comes up for Hearing in Supreme Court Today 

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will start hearing on a batch of petitions seeking legal validation of same-sex marriages on Tuesday. 

A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Ravindra Bhat, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice PS Narasimha will hear the matter. The Centre has opposed the petitions and argued against providing legal sanction to gay marriages. 

On March 13, the Chief Justice of India-led bench had referred the matter to a larger bench for an authoritative pronouncement. 

The Central government has submitted that legal recognition of same-sex marriages will disturb the delicate balance of personal laws and accepted societal values. It also said petitioners cannot claim a fundamental right to same-sex marriage to be recognised under the laws of the country. 

“Marriage, as an institution in law, has many statutory and other consequences under various legislative enactments. Therefore, any formal recognition of such a human relationship cannot be regarded as just a privacy issue between two adults,” the Centre said. 

The Centre also added that the same-sex marriages are not compatible with the concept of an ‘Indian family unit’ which it said consists of a ‘husband, a wife and children’. 

Opposing the legal validation of same-sex marriages, Jamiat Ulama-i Hind said it is an attack on the family system and goes against all the personal laws of the country.

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