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‘Grounded in tradition': Rijiju defends Centre’s stand on same-sex marriage

ByDeeksha Bhardwaj
Mar 14, 2023 05:16 PM IST

The government on Sunday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court arguing that legal validation of same-sex marital unions will cause “complete havoc”.

Union law minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday defended the government’s opposition to same-sex marriages, saying it was grounded in the Indian tradition and ethos.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju speaks during the Lokmat National Conclave, in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)
Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju speaks during the Lokmat National Conclave, in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)

“A person of any sex can choose to live a particular life. But when you talk about marriage, it is an institution...guided by different provisions and laws,” he said at the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards function.

The government on Sunday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court arguing that legal validation of same-sex marital unions will cause “complete havoc” with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country and in accepted societal values. It said the legislative policy in India recognises marriage as a bond only between a biological man and a biological woman.

Also read: RSS clears stance on same-sex marriage; Hosabale replies to Rahul Gandhi's 'fascist' remark

The Supreme Court on Monday said petitions demanding legal validation for same-sex marriages will be decided by a Constitution bench even as the Union government opposed them.

The government said the apex court now carries the “grave responsibility” of determining how society will be shaped in the future.

Rijiju also called for a need to identify and classify administrative and judicial issues while referring to the top court’s ruling this month that election commissioners and the chief election commissioner will henceforth be chosen by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India till Parliament passes a law on the appointments.

Rijiju said there is clarity in Constitution over these appointments. “The Supreme Court took cognizance of a PIL and pronounced a judgment.”

Also read: Same-sex marriages will wreak havoc, says Govt in SC

He said there was an attempt to tarnish the Indian democratic system and judiciary. “People who say the Indian judiciary is compromised are undermining the judiciary. Indian judiciary is strong and independent.”

Rijiju said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no tolerance for corruption. “No one in the BJP can think of corruption. In the last eight and a half years of [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s government, have heard of a minister indulging in corruption?”

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