NEW DELHI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's apex court, the Supreme Court of India, on Tuesday refused to give legal recognition to marriages among same-sex couples, but told the country's parliament to form a committee to ensure the protection of such couples' rights in society.
Hearing a bunch of petitions over same-sex marriages, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud gave a three-to-two split verdict, saying the government should protect same-sex couples entering into marriages, but refusing to recognize it as a fundamental right.
Giving out his opinion during the hearing, Chandrachud said that trans-gender persons in heterosexual relationships had the right to marry under the existing laws of the land.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Adish Aggarwala welcomed the apex court's ruling, saying that the court accepted the federal government's version on the matter. ■
