Supreme Court Refuses To Legalise Same-Sex marriage, Will Parliament Relent?

The Supreme Court today stopped short of legalising same-sex marriage, but stressed that an individual's right to enter into a union cannot be restricted on the basis of sexual orientation. The five-judge bench came up with four judgments, differing primarily on the question of adoption rights for queer couples. The judges asked the Centre to proceed with the formation of a committee to address practical concerns of same-sex couples, such as getting ration cards, pension, gratuity and succession issues. The Centre on May 3 had told the court that it plans to form a committee headed by a cabinet secretary to explore administrative solution to problems faced by same-sex couples without delving into the marriage equality question.