Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Government has agreed to set up a panel headed by the Cabinet Secretary to explore administrative steps for addressing concerns of same-sex couples, the Supreme Court was informed on May 3.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud-led Constitution Bench, which is hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal sanction of same-sex marriage, was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “The government is positive. What we have decided is that this (issues concerning same-sex couples) would need coordination between more than one ministry. So, therefore a committee headed by no less than the cabinet secretary will be constituted.”
The petitioners can submit their suggestions or the problems they’re facing, “which the committee will go into and will try and see that so far as legally permissible, they are addressed”.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the petitioners, remarked, “This at best is administrative tweaking. Legal tweaking is another thing. Whatever
is given by administrative tweaking is certainly welcome. But it may not be a substitute (to a legal solution).”
During the course of the hearing in the Supreme Court, the Centre has urged the apex court to leave the issue to Parliament. The SG has argued that the law cannot be re-drafted again to allow same-sex marriage.
