Same-Sex Marriage Hearing: Centre Asks SC to Make all States, UTs Party to proceedings

New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Centre filed a fresh affidavit before the Supreme Court urging the apex court to make all the states and Union Territories in the country a party to the ongoing proceedings of the hearings on same-sex marriage. The Central Government argued that the debate on same-sex marriage falls within the legislative domain of the states and hence, they should be party to the hearing.

The Supreme Court is hearing the case for legal recognition of same-sex marriage on Wednesday for a second day. A five-judge Constitution Bench is hearing a batch of petitions on the issue. The petitioners want the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, to read marriage as between “spouse” instead of “man and woman”.

On Tuesday, the Centre argued that the idea of marriage is limited to the union between a biological male and a biological female. Responding to the Centre’s argument, the top court said that there was no “absolute concept of a man or an absolute concept of a woman” and that gender was “far more complex” than one’s genitals.