India's top court, led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, declined to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages, saying it is beyond its scope and should be decided by parliament, The Guardian reported.
However, the court emphasized that same-sex relationships should not face discrimination from the state.
The five-judge bench said it had been divided on the matter and had written four separate judgments. Two of the judges had supported same-sex unions; however, the majority ruled against them.
"Queerness is not [for the] urban elite. Homosexuality or queerness is not an urban concept or restricted to the upper classes of the society," Chandrachud added. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, also part of the bench, expressed his support for marriage equality.
In 2018, the court voided a colonial-era law banning homosexuality in India.
Andrew Davis