'Offensive To Our Values': Group of Former Judges, IPS Officers Writes To President On Same-Sex Marriage

For the past six days, a group of petitions seeking the legal validation of same-sex marriage have been heard by a five-judge Constitution bench.

LGBTQ members take part in a pride parade

Source : File Photo/PTI

In an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu, a group of former judges, IPS officers, and bureaucrats "request for intervention for saving of Indian cultural traditions, religious tenets and social values."

"...If we revise the law to make same-sex sexual union rational, acceptable or moral, it will open the doors to same-sex sexual culture. Our society and culture do not accept same-sex behavioural institution because it is offensive to our values, besides being irrational and unnatural..," reads the letter, as reported ANI.

Same-sex marriage | A group of former judges, former IPS officers and former bureaucrats write an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu, with a "request for intervention for saving of Indian cultural traditions, religious tenets and social values."

"...If we revise the law to…

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2023

For the past six days, a group of petitions seeking the legal validation of same-sex marriage have been heard by a five-judge Constitution bench that is led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and includes justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha.

"It is widely appreciated that same-sex relationship can’t create long-term or stable institutions; and if they are allowed to adopt children, they can’t maintain stable and long-lasting relationships with their families, parents, relatives and partners. The health and future of such children will be severely compromised," the open letter further reads.

"India cannot afford that its future generations live in such an atmosphere, which surely will produce more gays and lesbians, and tear apart and destroy the institutions of ‘family’ and ‘society’ irreparably. They won’t know about their parents, ancestors, culture, religious tenets and age-old values," reads the letter.

On Thursday, the top court focused on the social living together between same-sex couples must find some "acknowledgment" in regulation, and got some information about how far going in taking "authoritative" steps to ensure social security and welfare benefits to them - even in absence of legal recognition of marriage.

“Once you accept the fact that same-sex couples have a right to cohabit, there is a corresponding duty on the State to at least recognise that cohabitation…As a welfare State, as a democratic State, these are aspirations of the people that there has to be some recognition. So, what can the State do?” the bench asked.

Meanwhile, the public statement by the Bar Council of India opposing the Supreme Court hearing on the legalisation of same-sex marriages has been strongly criticized by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

A unanimous resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the SCBA denounced the BCI's remark, saying it was "highly inappropriate" or the legal counselor's body to give a press statement while the matter was being heard in the High Court.