The government of India insists: no same-sex marriage. The government is asking the Supreme Court to reject a request from four gay couples who went to court at the end of last year because they want to get married.

In a statement, the Indian government said on Sunday “it understands that there are different forms of cohabitation, but that marriage is a legal right for heterosexuals.” And the state does not want to change that.

four gay couples

Four gay couples of Indian origin approached the Supreme Court in late 2022 with a request to recognize same-sex marriage.

To make this possible, the law would have to be changed on the one hand or on the other hand that the Supreme Court should interpret the law in such a way that marriages would also be allowed for people of the same sex.

sex is no longer a crime

In November last year, the Supreme Court indeed ruled that there was sufficient reason to hear the case of the four couples. The Indian government does not see that as yet.

The Supreme Court did succeed in 2018. Then it overturned an age-old law that criminalized sex between people of the same sex. But since then, India has not taken any further steps in the field of lbhtq emancipation.