An Indian Supreme Court chief justice has ruled that the court lacks the authority to legalize same-sex weddings.
According to reports, a five-judge panel led by Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, deliberated on the case between April and May this year and announced its verdict today.
As he began reading the order, Chandrachud noted that there were areas of agreement and dispute regarding the extent to which the nation should accept same-sex marriages.
Two of the four other judges agreed with Chandrachud on the court’s decision not to legalize same-sex marriages, giving the court a majority. The remaining two judges have yet to weigh in.
Those who had gathered outside the court in the hope of celebrating India’s prospective recognition as the second Asian jurisdiction, after Taiwan, to legalize same-sex marriages were disappointed.
The petitioners contended that legalizing gay marriage would provide them access to matrimonial benefits such as adoption, insurance, and inheritance.
The ruling comes five years after the Supreme Court repealed a colonial-era ban on homosexual sex in a landmark 2018 decision.
