The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud reserved its judgment after a 10-day hearing in the matter.
A five Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court headed by CJI DY Chandrachud will continue the hearing on a batch of petitions on same sex marriage the tenth day on Thursday. The bench comprises Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices SK Kaul, SR Bhat, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha. The Centre yesterday (Wednesday) told the Supreme Court that it had received responses from seven states on the plea to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. Three states Rajasthan, Assam and Andhra Pradesh have opposed the plea, while the remaining four Sikkim, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur have sought more time. Earlier on Tuesday, the court has said that marriage is a constitutional right and not merely a statutory right.
During the last hearing, the Central government argued that if unbridled personal autonomy is permitted in terms of sexual orientation, it could potentially be used to challenge provisions that prohibit incest.
During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court bemoaned the fact that answers to its queries and comments to counsel were being delivered on social media.