In its 366-page ruling, the Supreme Court indicated that this was not a question of law that necessitated a five-judge bench ruling. “Hence this issue was to be left for consideration by a numerically smaller bench,” the court said.
Justice S K Kaul, part of the five-judge Constitutional bench which unanimously ruled against legalising same-sex marriages, made the observation about the need for a separate anti-discrimination law.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud in his minority opinion on Tuesday noted Mehta’s assurance that the Central Government will constitute a committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary to “define and elucidate” the scope of entitlements of queer couples in unions.