‘Same sex marriage verdict by SC shameful’
The Hindu
The same-sex marriage verdict is the “most shameful” judgement by the Supreme Court in many years, said Colin Gonsalves, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and founder of Human Rights Law Network.
The same-sex marriage verdict is the “most shameful” judgement by the Supreme Court in many years, said Colin Gonsalves, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and founder of Human Rights Law Network.
Mr. Gonsalves was in Bengaluru recently to speak on “Supreme Court, a guardian of constitutional rights: A critical assessment” at the Alternative Law Forum. Expressing strong views on the stance taken by the Supreme Court on several issues recently, Mr. Gonsalves did not mince words.
“If a dominant group of society attacks the minority group, often you find that the government is on the side of the majority group. But the Supreme Court has to protect the minority point of view,” he said, adding that the judgement of the Supreme Court has caused much anguish to the people.
In October, the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage leaving it to the Parliament to legislate on it. A five-judge constitution bench ruled that the right to marry was not fundamental and hence the court could not intervene. Pointing out the verdicts of Apex Courts in South Africa, the UK and Canada which ruled in favour of same-sex marriage, he said the SC should have followed suit.
Mr. Gonsalves also lashed out against the recent verdict by the Supreme Court which upheld the abrogation of Article 370 that earlier gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status.
“The Article 370 judgment is deplorable. To say that when under presidential rule, parliament can act without taking the views of the assembly of the state, change a state into a union territory, and change the character of the state is a deplorable judgement,“ said Mr Gonsalves.
“We cannot confidently say that the Supreme Court is an independent institution, which is what it prides itself on... The Supreme Court should speak for the majority and the minority,” he said. He added that if the situation continues, people will lose faith in the institution.
The Hindu Future India Club (FIC), in association with VIT-AP, Amaravati, will organise a seminar on ‘Career Opportunities in Law, Management and Sciences’ on July 31. The event is being organised in collaboration with GEMS Public School on the campus of the institution near Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur district.
The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting organised a photo exhibition at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhawan in Guntur on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26 (Friday), commemorating the valour, supreme sacrifice and victory of the soldiers in the Kargil War in 1999. The exhibition is being organised for three days.