“Petitioners cannot claim a fundamental right for same-sex marriage being recognised under the laws of the country”The Centre on Thursday opposed any changes to the existing laws on marriage to recognise same sex marriages, saying such interference would cause “a complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country”. “Any other interpretation except treating ‘husband’ as a biological man and ‘wife’ as a biological woman will make all statutory provisions unworkable,” the government cautioned. adding, “In a same sex marriage, it is neither possible nor feasible to term one as ‘husband’ and the other as ‘wife’ in the context of legislative scheme of various statutes”. The High Court was hearing three separate petitions by same-sex couples seeking to declare that the Special Marriage Act (SMA) and Foreign Marriage Act (FMA) ought to apply to all couples regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation. The High Court has listed the petitions for hearing on April 20.

Source: The Hindu February 25, 2021 16:24 UTC