From Monday, five years after it decriminalised gay sex, India's top court will begin hearing a clutch of petitions seeking official recognition of same-sex unions.
"Whatever basket of rights marriage provides, which heterosexual couples completely take for granted, for us same-sex couples, we did not have those rights," Dang, a software manager in the southern city of Hyderabad, told AFP.
Both men married without legal sanction in 2021, picking a venue far from the city for fear of disruption if word got out. In 2014, transgender people were given official recognition as a"third gender" and three years later India's top court recognised sexual orientation as protected under a fundamental right to privacy.
Last year a Supreme Court panel unanimously recommended Saurabh Kirpal, who is openly gay, become a high court judge -- but the government objected. They had two children via surrogacy before the law changed in 2021, banning the practice for the LGBTQ community and unmarried partners.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alcaraz chases Indian Wells title and return to No. 1Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz can replace Novak Djokovic with a victory at the Indian Wells ATP Masters, and the 19-year-old Spaniard says he'll give it all he's got.
Read more »
India skipper Rohit hits back at 'absolutely rubbish' criticismRohit Sharma on Wednesday angrily dismissed suggestions his India side had become overconfident, calling the criticism from former head coach Ravi Shastri 'absolutely rubbish'.
Read more »
World's largest cricket stadium in India with link to TrumpIndia will host Australia from Thursday at the biggest cricket stadium in the world for the fourth and final Test.
Read more »
GAVIN MAGUIRE: China, India, Russia and Turkey likely to lead growth in nuclear powerWhile nuclear power may be considered outdated in the West, the tech seems to have a bright future across other energy-poor regions
Read more »