The Indian government has formally opposed same-sex marriage in a Supreme Court case, saying that such unions would cause “complete havoc” in the country. While Indian society has been debating LGBT rights, particularly after a landmark ruling in 2018 that decriminalised gay sex, the government’s affidavit submitted to the court said that marriage “necessarily and inevitably presupposes a union between two persons of the opposite sex”. The opposition comes at a time when LGBTQ rights have increasingly been debated in Indian courtrooms and living rooms, with more support among politicians and influential organisations on India’s political right. If same-sex marriage were legalised, India would become the second Asian country after Taiwan to do so.
