Delhi HC hears petition seeking legal recognition of same-sex couples

• On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court will hear a bundle of petitions seeking legal recognition for same-sex couples. The case was last heard in court on May 24, when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested an adjournment owing to the current state of Covid-19.

• The case was delayed till July 6 by a Division Bench comprising Justices Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and C Hari Shankar, who were hearing the case.

• The petitioners claim that members of the LGBT community are compelled to conceal their desires to marry the person of their choice. They also stated in the petitions that denying LGBT people the right to marry is discriminatory and creates a second class of citizens.

• The Centre has been fighting the case, claiming that the requests are unsustainable, untenable, and inappropriate, and has asked for them to be dismissed. It has been claimed that "marriage" is simply a socially recognized union of two persons controlled by uncodified personal rules or codified statutory laws.