India’s Supreme Court has declined to legalise same-sex unions, dashing the hopes of millions of LGBTQ+ people seeking marriage equality
The court instead accepted the government’s offer to set up a panel to consider granting more legal rights and benefits to same-sex couples. Activists and same-sex couples said they were disappointed by the judgment and would continue their campaign, arguing that not being able to marry violated their constitutional rights and made them “second-class citizens”.