The government was urged by the Supreme Court to respect the rights of the LGBTQ community and put an end to discrimination against them.
NEARBY — The country’s chief judge stated on Tuesday that it was up to Parliament to enact a bill allowing same-sex marriages. India’s top court declined to do so.
The government was urged by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud to defend the rights of the LGBTQ community and put an end to discrimination against them.
Twenty petitions requesting the legalization of same-sex marriage in the nation with the largest population were heard by the five-judge court earlier this year.
The justices’ opinions “on how far we have to go” in regards to same-sex marriages, according to Chandrachud, are divided to varying degrees of agreement.
“This court has no legal authority. The top judge reiterated that Parliament must determine whether to broaden marriage legislation to cover homosexual unions; it can only interpret it and give it effect.
The Supreme Court’s intervention has largely been responsible for the expansion of LGBTQ+ people’s legal rights in India over the past ten years.
The ruling on Tuesday follows the top court’s 2018 decision to overturn a colonial-era law that had increased the rights of the gay community and rendered homosexual acts punishable by up to ten years in prison.
One judge stated that the ruling would “pave the way for a better future,” and it was hailed as a significant victory for LGBTQ rights.