Same-sex marriage hearing highlights: Same sex couple not imported: CJI

The Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing the arguments for and against seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages in India.

While consensual same sex relationships has been decriminalised in the country, same sex marriages are still not recognised. (Pic for representation)

Same-sex marriage Supreme Court hearing LIVE updates: A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing the arguments for and against seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages in India. This is the seventh day of the hearing. ...Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 3 May 2023, 03:32:38 PM IST

  Hearing to resume on May 9

  The bench has risen for the day. The hearings will resume on Tuesday, 9th May 2023, reports Live Law

• 3 May 2023, 03:31:49 PM IST

  Heterosexuals won't object if special marriage act is struck down, says senior lawyer Dwivedi

  Senior advocate Dwivedi argues that the heterosexuals will not object if Special Marriage Act is struck down. Justice Bhat counters and asks what about people of different faith, Bar and Bench reports. The lawyer responds saying Islam has its own law. The judge says,"We are talking of different religion"

• 3 May 2023, 03:22:40 PM IST

  Question is statutory rights, argues senior lawyer Dwivedi

  Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi says with reference to the prayer to discard originalism, “We are not advancing some fundamental right here.” He says the question is statutory rights as the special marriage act as it exists, can its intention be discarded

• 3 May 2023, 02:56:44 PM IST

  CJI cites the example of a same sex couple marrying a person from another gender

  CJI Chandrachud cites an example of a same-sex couple who marry a person from another gender. “Like 2 men in a relationship and one of them marries a woman then there will be no bigamy. This will be applicable to a trans person as well..”, Bar and Bench quoted the CJI. “So if there are two men in a relationship and one of them marries a woman, there will be no offence of bigamy”, the CJI added.

• 3 May 2023, 02:52:15 PM IST

  Dignity has nothing to do with marriage, argues senior lawyer Dwivedi

  Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi argues that dignity has nothing to do with marriage. "

  “My marriage is not registered. So do I not have dignity? I'm not looking for any recognition from any law”, Live Law quoted him as saying.

• 3 May 2023, 02:45:08 PM IST

  Existence of same sex couple not imported, says CJI

  Chief justice says existence of same couple not imported from somewhere else and it is a part of the society. Advocate Dwivedi responds the same sex couples never demanded marriage. He adds marriage is not about dignity, people who are widows are not without dignity, reports Bar and Bench. 

  The CJI responds, “The point is not that single people have no dignity.. the question is about choice”

• 3 May 2023, 02:37:24 PM IST

  How is dignity of heterosexual marriage at stake, CJI asks lawyer

  Chief justice DY Chandrachud asks lawyer Dwivedi how is the dignity of heterosexual marriage at stake. Justice Bhat asks the counsel he is saying using the word spouse diminishing the meaning of husband and wife, Bar and Bench reports. 

  “We say I take you as a husband and take you as a wife... how can we say I take you as my spouse”, Dwivedi responds, to which CJI says this is not his strongest case.

• 3 May 2023, 02:32:54 PM IST

  Is there a fundamental right to marriage, asks senior lawyer Dwivedi

  Senior advocate Dwivedi argues in court, "Now question is there a fundamental right to marriage.. fundamental right to recognition of marriage and is there a fundamental right to equality in the marriage of heterosexuals.. can this be made permissible by the variety of amendments".

• 3 May 2023, 02:29:59 PM IST

  Omnibus demand for an equation with heterosexual marriage, argues lawyer

  Hearing resume. Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi argues there is an omnibus demand as same sex, intersex and transgenders want an equation with heterosexual marriage, reports Live Law

• 3 May 2023, 12:45:35 PM IST

  No vaccum can be attributed to the SMA: AG

  AG: No vaccum can be attributed to the SMA. Absence of reference to all possible unions of persons as marriage cannot be construed as a legal and a constitutional omission.

• 3 May 2023, 12:26:13 PM IST

  Hetrosexual couples weren't intended to be a part of Special Marriage Act: CJI

  CJI DY Chandrachud: So you've dealt with also the argument of inclusion that the fact that the SMA was intended to be a special law in the context of conventional institution of marriage...but same sex couples weren't intended to be a part of this law.

• 3 May 2023, 12:17:09 PM IST

  ‘For something as simple as pension accrues only in marriage’, says Guruswamy

  For something as simple as pension, provident fund, gratuity, benefits - that accrues only in a marriage. It doesn't accrue to a caregiver, says Menaka Guruswamy

• 3 May 2023, 12:09:53 PM IST

  Attorney General R Venkatramani begins his submissions

  Attorney General R Venkatramani begins his submissions.

  AG: I wish to convey my deep appreciation for petitioners for deep insights I received on a subject like this.

• 3 May 2023, 12:06:32 PM IST

  '…people do have a right to cohabit’: CJI DY Chandrachud

  CJI DY Chandrachud: From the drift of the submissions made by SG last time, it appears that the SG also accepts that people do have a right to cohabit and that right is an accepted social reality.

• 3 May 2023, 12:01:27 PM IST

  Their intimate relationship,  state has no right to regulate, says govt 

  SG Mehta: It is their intimate relationship, the state has no right to regulate or recognise. Why the recognition came? Because the court felt that we will have to regulate- you cannot marry at any age, many times, say bye bye whenever you want, children may be there.

• 3 May 2023, 11:55:43 AM IST

  Govt positive about suggestion for exploring administrative steps to address concerns of same-sex couples

  Govt positive about suggestion for exploring administrative steps to address concerns of same-sex couples.

• 3 May 2023, 11:46:07 AM IST

  VHP to hold nationwide protest against same-sex marriage hearing in SC

  On Monday, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held a protest in Tripura's Agartala and said the outfit will organise similar protests nationwide against a plea in the Supreme Court on the issue.

• 3 May 2023, 11:35:51 AM IST

  Govt to form panel to examine 'administrative' steps

  The Centre has agreed to set up a committee to examine the administrative steps it can take to address some of the concerns of same-sex couples. The panel will be headed by cabinet secretary.

• 3 May 2023, 11:34:14 AM IST

  Same-sex marriage hearing on Day 7 begins 

  The hearing on same-sex marriage has begun in the Supreme Court for the seventh day.