The Supreme Court of Nepal recently issued an interim order directing the office of the prime minister and council of ministers as well as other relevant ministries to establish a "transitional mechanism" to ensure the registration of marriages for "same-sex couples," The Hindu reported.
The interim orderissued by a single judge bench of Justice Til Prasad Shrestharesulted from litigation filed on June 7 by Pinky Gurung, current president of the LGBTQ+-rights organization Blue Diamond Society.
"This is a very significant development as same-sex as well as third genders and their partners can register their marriages. They will be entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples. Parliament may take a while to pass the marriage equality law but this order gives a practical solution to members of the sexual and gender minority communities who wish to register their marriage legally," said Sunil Babu Pant. Pant, the founder of Blue Diamond, is a member of Nepal's parliament.
This landmark decision makes Nepal the first country in South Asia to allow marriage registration for same-sex couples, according to EFE.
Andrew Davis