Indian Supreme Court trashes plea to legalise same-sex marriages in major blow to LGBT community

NEW DELHI – As India, the country of over 1.4 billion awaits landmark ruling of the Supreme Court, the top court refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages.

The ruling from the Indian apex court is no less than a blow to the LGBTQ+ community in South Asian nation, who were looking at the larger bench in the hope of getting their constitutional right to marry the individual of their choice.

The five-member bench court including Chief Justice heard the case, and announced the verdict. During the months-long proceedings, petitioners highlighted marriage-based culture in Indian society and urged that LGBT couples should be granted the same rights as normal spouses in terms of finance and medical, inheritance, and succession decisions.

The court however refused an appeal to legalise same-sex marriages, and the country's top judge said it was outside the court’s ambit to decide the issue and urged the national legislature to deal with the laws governing marriage. Chief Justice said picking a life partner is an integral part of choosing one’s course of life.

The court however maintained providing legal protections to same-sex couples, arguing that denying them services violates fundamental rights.

Earlier, Narendra Modi-led Indian ruling party opposed the petition, saying the issue should be left to parliament.

In 2018, the Indian Supreme Court turned down a law banning homosexuality in India, however, people in the most populated nation largely remained against same-sex marriages.