2 years after same-sex marriage verdict, Justice Kaul speaks on Queer rights reforms

Former Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who was on the Constitution Bench in the landmark case, joined the event and reflected on the road ahead.

Transcript

00:00The whole argument of the government was this is legislative incorrect, please let us do it.

00:30The report urges action to address discrimination in financial services, employment, education

00:35and housing.

00:36These policy recommendations will also be submitted to the government committee set up after

00:39the Supreme Court's verdict in the Supriyo Chakravarti case.

00:42Former Justice Sanjay Kishin Kall, who also attended the event, was one of the five judges

00:46on the constitution bench in the Supriyo Chakravarti vs Union of India case in 2023.

00:51While the bench ruled against granting same-sex couples the right to marry, Justice Kall had

00:55written an opinion that was more progressive and empathetic toward the LGBTQIA plus community.

00:59This is what the former justice said at the event.

01:02In fact, the whole argument of the government was this is legislative incorrect, please let

01:06us do it.

01:07Why are you interfering?

01:08Let me say now that I have demoted office, we did try, we did try to see if something could

01:13be done.

01:14But somewhere we fell a little short, both in terms of what we would have liked to do in

01:19the minority view and also because we were the minority.

01:24Well, there is always a history to all this and there is always a time and place for things

01:30to evolve.

01:31Former Justice Kall also reflected on the efforts needed to ensure progress for the queer community.

01:36The future of queer rights in India, as the Supreme Court had opined in Supriyo, required

01:41action in the realms of legislature and the executive with some coordinated effort across various

01:49ministries and departments.

01:50Amendments not only to civil laws relating to marriage, parenthood and inheritance and making

01:57them more inclusive would, in my view, be the only first step albeit significantly.

02:02What is required perhaps is also legislation on civil union.