'Seminal importance': SC refers same-sex marriage petitions to Constitution bench

The Supreme Court stated on Monday that the issue of same-sex marriage is of "seminal importance" in India and that any decision on the subject will have a significant impact on society. While hearing the petitions seeking legal validation, the court referred it to a five-member Constitution bench, stating that final arguments will be heard by the larger bench on April 18.

• The decision comes a day after the Centre opposed the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the country in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court.
• As per rough estimates, there are about seven crore LGBTQ+ individuals living in India.
• Nonetheless, the government has repeatedly opposed the registration of same-sex marriages, even as the 2018 judgment decriminalized gay consensual sex.