Anju Sharma and Kavita Tappu, a same-sex couple, recently held a wedding ceremony in Gurugram after living together for four years. The couple’s wedding included traditional rituals such as pheras and varmala.
Although same-sex marriage is not legal in India, the couple proceeded with the ceremony, surrounded by their families, at Chhoti Panchayat Dharamshala on April 24, as reported by The Times of India. Photos and videos of the ceremony have since gone viral.
Anju Sharma, a TV actor, told ANI that she met Kavita Tappu, a makeup artist from Fatehabad, Haryana, during a shoot. Both of them felt an immediate connection and thus started living together, she said.
Kavita told ANI that she was aware their wedding videos would go viral, but added that she felt upset when people involved her family in their comments. She described Anju as “very caring”, and said she is proud of her decision and extremely happy with her. She said they were lucky that their families were understanding.
Kavita said they hope to adopt an orphan child in the future.
She added that she no longer works because Anju “has assured me that she will earn for both of them”.
A legal expert is quoted in the Times of India report as saying that although the couple desires to start a family, it will be challenging due to the lack of recognition for same-sex marriages in India, making the process of adopting a child equally difficult.
Arvind Narrain, the founder of Alternative Law Forum and an advocate who works for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, told the paper that Indian laws do not prohibit an LGBTQ+ individual from adopting. He said a person from the LGBTQ+ community can adopt, but in an individual capacity. Sexual orientation is irrelevant when it comes to adopting as a single parent, he added.
In 2023, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court refused to recognise the right of same-sex couples to enter into marriages or have civil unions. The Supreme Court unanimously said it could not strike down the provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA) or reinterpret the law to include non-heterosexual couples in it.
The bench also said the Parliament should take a decision on the matter, and set up a panel to consider granting more legal rights and benefits to same-sex couples in India.