“None of the Indian civil codes in effect permits this (marriage of the same sex). The Supreme Court wants to amend these, does it not? Surendra Jain, the joint general secretary, raised concern.
Varanasi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad stated on Saturday that the Supreme Court’s “haste” in deciding on petitions for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages is inappropriate and that the court should have sought the advice of religious authorities and professionals from a range of sectors. Surendra Jain, the joint general secretary of the VHP, voiced concern that “new disputes” may result from the actions of the highest court.
A number of petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage are currently being heard by a five-judge Constitutional bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. The hearing on the case started on Tuesday, and by Thursday, the arguments were still going nowhere. On April 24, the arguments will pick again up.
Following the decriminalisation of consensual gay relationships, which implicitly acknowledged that same-sex persons might live in a stable marriage-like partnership, the top court stated on Thursday that it may be redefining the “evolving notion of marriage” as the next step.
“In no way is the hurried manner in which the Honourable Supreme Court is deciding the applications for same-sex marriage recognition appropriate. This will lead to new debates and could be harmful to Indian culture, according to Jain.
Therefore, he told reporters, “the Honourable Supreme Court should have formed a committee and sought the opinion of religious leaders, professionals in the medical field, social scientists, and academicians before moving forward on this subject.”
Jain claimed that many civil rules regulate distinct aspects of marriage.
“None of the Indian civil codes in effect permits this (marriage of the same sex). The Supreme Court wants to amend these, does it not? said he.
At the press conference, Ram Narayan Dwivedi of the Kashi Vidvat Parishad, Govind Sharma of the Ganga Mahasabha, and Mahant Balak Das of the Dharma Parishad all gave speeches.
The Supreme Court rejected the argument that same-sex couples, unlike heterosexuals, cannot properly care for their children during the hearing on Thursday.
The court stated that in light of its 2018 decision decriminalising consensual gay sex, two consenting homosexual people can now coexist in a partnership that has characteristics of marriage. The next step could be to formally recognise their union as a marriage, the court said.
Therefore, by decriminalising homosexuality, we have not only acknowledged the relationship between consenting individuals of the same gender, but we have also tacitly acknowledged the possibility of a stable relationship between those of the same sex, the statement said.
