LOVE VERSUS LAW: NAVIGATING THE LEGAL ROADBLOCKS TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN INDIA
Volume 4Issue I Year 2025
VAIBHAV YADAV
TEACHING AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (LAW), GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
vyadav@gnlu.ac.in
Table of Contents
VAIBHAV YADAV
TEACHING AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (LAW), GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
vyadav@gnlu.ac.in
Marriage Equality- LGBTQ+ Rights- Constitutional Law- “Supreme Court of India- Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships”
1. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India).
2. Id. at 253-256.
3. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
4. See generally The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, INDIA CODE; The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, No. 26 of 1937, INDIA CODE; The Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, INDIA CODE.
5. See Karan Tripathi, The Missing Rights: Why Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage in India Matters, THE WIRE (Oct. 18, 2023)
6. See K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1 (India); Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K.M., (2018) 16 SCC 368 (India).
7. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India) (per opinion of C.J. D.Y. Chandrachud).
8. See Ashwini Upadhyay, Marriage as a Societal Institution: Traditional Values and the Constitutional Framework, 3 NUALS L. J. 57, 62-64 (2021).
9. Joseph Shine v. Union of India, (2019) 3 SCC 39, 105-110 (India) (noting that companionship, dignity, and equality form the essence of marriage).
10. See generally Mary Ziegler, Marriage Equality and the Rule of Law, 109 NW. U. L. REV. 673, 676-682 (2015); Taiwan Becomes First Asian Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, BBC NEWS (May 17, 2019)
11. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
12. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India).
13. See Karan Tripathi, Beyond Section 377: Legal Barriers to LGBTQ+ Equality in India, THE LEAFLET (Mar. 10, 2023)
14. See The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, 5, INDIA CODE; Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, 4(c), INDIA CODE.
15. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
16. See Anjana Hariharan, Same-Sex Couples and Everyday Discrimination in Public and Private Institutions, 7 INDIAN L. & SOCY REV. 89, 91-94 (2023).
17. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644, 675 (2015) (U.S.) (Excluding same-sex couples from marriage demeans the dignity of their relationships.).
18. Susan Cochran & Vickie Mays, Legal Recognition and LGBTQ+ Mental Health, 57 AM. J. PUB. HEALTH 1021, 1023 (2017).
19. Indias Queer Lives: Inside Stories of the Marginalized, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (2022)
20. Arvind Narrain, Marriage Rights and the Myth of Elite Queer Politics, THE HINDU (Oct. 20, 2023)
21. NALSA v. Union of India, (2014) 5 SCC 438 (India).
22. Jayna Kothari, Children of Same-Sex Parents: The Forgotten Stakeholders, 8 NUJS L. REV. 34, 39-40 (2022).
23. See M. V. Lee Badgett, The Economic Impact of Same-Sex Marriage, 45 HARV. J. ON LEGIS. 3, 14-17 (2010).
24. Kritika Roy, Legal Uncertainty for Queer Cohabitation in India, 11 INDIAN J. CON. L. 87, 91-93 (2023).
25. See Policy Gaps in Recognizing Queer Families, VIDHI CENTRE FOR LEGAL POLICY (Apr. 2023)
26. The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, 5, INDIA CODE.
27. The Indian Christian Marriage Act, No. 15 of 1872, 60; Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, No. 26 of 1937, INDIA CODE.
28. See Karan Tripathi, The Invisible Clause: How Indian Law Silently Excludes Same-Sex Couples, THE WIRE (Oct. 2023).
29. See Githa Hariharan v. Reserve Bank of India, (1999) 2 SCC 228 (India).
30. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
31. Id. (per opinion of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat).
32. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India); K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1 (India); NALSA v. Union of India, (2014) 5 SCC 438 (India).
33. The Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, 4(c), INDIA CODE.
34. Jayna Kothari, Making the SMA Inclusive: A Legislative Roadmap, 9 SOCIO-LEGAL REV. 117, 122-24 (2022).
35. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.); Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
36. INDIA CONST. art. 25.
37. Shayara Bano v. Union of India, (2017) 9 SCC 1 (India).
38. Supriyo, supra note 30.
39. Gautam Bhatia, The Transformative Constitution 218-20 (2019).
40. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1, 122-23 (India).
41. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
42. See Gautam Bhatia, The Transformative Constitution 87-90 (HarperCollins 2019).
43. Navtej Singh Johar, supra note 1, 253-58.
44. Id. 145-46.
45. Supriyo, supra note 41.
46. Id. (per Chandrachud, C.J., separate opinion).
47. Id. (per Bhat, J., concurring).
48. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225 (India); Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, (1997) 6 SCC 241 (India); Shayara Bano v. Union of India, (2017) 9 SCC 1 (India).
49. See Anjana Hariharan, Judicial Minimalism and the Queer Movement, 8 J. INDIAN L. & SOCY 34, 40-42 (2024).
50. Jayna Kothari, Queering the Law: Strategic Litigation Post-Supriyo, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
51. See Paolo Ronzoni, The Italian Civil Union Law: Progress or Compromise?, 22 INTL J.L. POLY & FAM. 29, 31-34 (2018).
52. Albie Sachs, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law 109-12 (Oxford Univ. Press 2009).
53. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Dec. 16, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171.
54. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
55. Id.
56. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
57. Id. at 670-78.
58. Anjana Hariharan, Civil Unions in India: A Regressive Compromise?, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
59. Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, 2017, Const. Ct. (Taiwan).
60. Liang-Yi Chang, Marriage Equality in Taiwan: Constitutionalism and Asian Values, 10 ASIAN J. COMP. L. 89 (2019).
61. European Convention on Human Rights art. 8, Nov. 4, 1950, 213 U.N.T.S. 221.
62. Oliari v. Italy, App. Nos. 18766/11 & 36030/11, Eur. Ct. H.R. (2015).
63. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, (1997) 6 SCC 241 (India).
64. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
65. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644, 672-76 (2015).
66. Jayna Kothari, Beyond Marriage: Legal Rights and Vulnerabilities of Queer Couples in India, 7 NUJS L. REV. 56, 63-67 (2023).
67. Anjana Hariharan, Civil Unions: The Incomplete Compromise, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
68. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Dec. 16, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171.
References
1. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India).
2. Id. at 253-256.
3. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
4. See generally The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, INDIA CODE; The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, No. 26 of 1937, INDIA CODE; The Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, INDIA CODE.
5. See Karan Tripathi, The Missing Rights: Why Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage in India Matters, THE WIRE (Oct. 18, 2023)
6. See K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1 (India); Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K.M., (2018) 16 SCC 368 (India).
7. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India) (per opinion of C.J. D.Y. Chandrachud).
8. See Ashwini Upadhyay, Marriage as a Societal Institution: Traditional Values and the Constitutional Framework, 3 NUALS L. J. 57, 62-64 (2021).
9. Joseph Shine v. Union of India, (2019) 3 SCC 39, 105-110 (India) (noting that companionship, dignity, and equality form the essence of marriage).
10. See generally Mary Ziegler, Marriage Equality and the Rule of Law, 109 NW. U. L. REV. 673, 676-682 (2015); Taiwan Becomes First Asian Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, BBC NEWS (May 17, 2019)
11. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
12. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India).
13. See Karan Tripathi, Beyond Section 377: Legal Barriers to LGBTQ+ Equality in India, THE LEAFLET (Mar. 10, 2023)
14. See The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, 5, INDIA CODE; Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, 4(c), INDIA CODE.
15. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
16. See Anjana Hariharan, Same-Sex Couples and Everyday Discrimination in Public and Private Institutions, 7 INDIAN L. & SOCY REV. 89, 91-94 (2023).
17. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644, 675 (2015) (U.S.) (Excluding same-sex couples from marriage demeans the dignity of their relationships.).
18. Susan Cochran & Vickie Mays, Legal Recognition and LGBTQ+ Mental Health, 57 AM. J. PUB. HEALTH 1021, 1023 (2017).
19. Indias Queer Lives: Inside Stories of the Marginalized, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (2022)
20. Arvind Narrain, Marriage Rights and the Myth of Elite Queer Politics, THE HINDU (Oct. 20, 2023)
21. NALSA v. Union of India, (2014) 5 SCC 438 (India).
22. Jayna Kothari, Children of Same-Sex Parents: The Forgotten Stakeholders, 8 NUJS L. REV. 34, 39-40 (2022).
23. See M. V. Lee Badgett, The Economic Impact of Same-Sex Marriage, 45 HARV. J. ON LEGIS. 3, 14-17 (2010).
24. Kritika Roy, Legal Uncertainty for Queer Cohabitation in India, 11 INDIAN J. CON. L. 87, 91-93 (2023).
25. See Policy Gaps in Recognizing Queer Families, VIDHI CENTRE FOR LEGAL POLICY (Apr. 2023)
26. The Hindu Marriage Act, No. 25 of 1955, 5, INDIA CODE.
27. The Indian Christian Marriage Act, No. 15 of 1872, 60; Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, No. 26 of 1937, INDIA CODE.
28. See Karan Tripathi, The Invisible Clause: How Indian Law Silently Excludes Same-Sex Couples, THE WIRE (Oct. 2023).
29. See Githa Hariharan v. Reserve Bank of India, (1999) 2 SCC 228 (India).
30. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
31. Id. (per opinion of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat).
32. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1 (India); K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1 (India); NALSA v. Union of India, (2014) 5 SCC 438 (India).
33. The Special Marriage Act, No. 43 of 1954, 4(c), INDIA CODE.
34. Jayna Kothari, Making the SMA Inclusive: A Legislative Roadmap, 9 SOCIO-LEGAL REV. 117, 122-24 (2022).
35. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.); Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
36. INDIA CONST. art. 25.
37. Shayara Bano v. Union of India, (2017) 9 SCC 1 (India).
38. Supriyo, supra note 30.
39. Gautam Bhatia, The Transformative Constitution 218-20 (2019).
40. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1, 122-23 (India).
41. Supriyo v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1011 of 2022, decided on Oct. 17, 2023 (India).
42. See Gautam Bhatia, The Transformative Constitution 87-90 (HarperCollins 2019).
43. Navtej Singh Johar, supra note 1, 253-58.
44. Id. 145-46.
45. Supriyo, supra note 41.
46. Id. (per Chandrachud, C.J., separate opinion).
47. Id. (per Bhat, J., concurring).
48. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225 (India); Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, (1997) 6 SCC 241 (India); Shayara Bano v. Union of India, (2017) 9 SCC 1 (India).
49. See Anjana Hariharan, Judicial Minimalism and the Queer Movement, 8 J. INDIAN L. & SOCY 34, 40-42 (2024).
50. Jayna Kothari, Queering the Law: Strategic Litigation Post-Supriyo, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
51. See Paolo Ronzoni, The Italian Civil Union Law: Progress or Compromise?, 22 INTL J.L. POLY & FAM. 29, 31-34 (2018).
52. Albie Sachs, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law 109-12 (Oxford Univ. Press 2009).
53. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Dec. 16, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171.
54. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
55. Id.
56. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
57. Id. at 670-78.
58. Anjana Hariharan, Civil Unions in India: A Regressive Compromise?, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
59. Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, 2017, Const. Ct. (Taiwan).
60. Liang-Yi Chang, Marriage Equality in Taiwan: Constitutionalism and Asian Values, 10 ASIAN J. COMP. L. 89 (2019).
61. European Convention on Human Rights art. 8, Nov. 4, 1950, 213 U.N.T.S. 221.
62. Oliari v. Italy, App. Nos. 18766/11 & 36030/11, Eur. Ct. H.R. (2015).
63. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, (1997) 6 SCC 241 (India).
64. Minister of Home Affairs v. Fourie, 2006 (1) SA 524 (CC) (S. Afr.).
65. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644, 672-76 (2015).
66. Jayna Kothari, Beyond Marriage: Legal Rights and Vulnerabilities of Queer Couples in India, 7 NUJS L. REV. 56, 63-67 (2023).
67. Anjana Hariharan, Civil Unions: The Incomplete Compromise, THE LEAFLET (Oct. 2023).
68. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Dec. 16, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171.