India’s missing colours

The verdict on same-sex marriage has snitched the Indian queer community’s wish to live with dignity.

The Indian Supreme Court on Tuesday disappointed a legion of Indians awaiting a long-overdue legalisation of same-sex marriage. The verdict by a five-member panel of judges, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, has shrugged its shoulders, saying formulating laws on marriage is the prerogative of Parliament and state legislatures. The ruling also said the Constitution of India did not guarantee the fundamental right to marriage for same-sex couples under existing law. This essentially means that legalising same-sex marriage in India is a distant dream as long as the Narendra Modi-led government is in place, as it is the main force opposing the same.