SC Dismisses Review Pleas on Same-Sex Marriage
Why focus: 5-Judge Constitution Bench verdict — GS2 Polity. Touches Special Marriage Act & Art 21. Constitution Bench cases are near-guaranteed asks.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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BEFORE: Petitioners had a pending judicial mechanism - the review petition - hoping the Supreme Court would reconsider its refusal to recognize same-sex marriages.
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NOW: The judicial door is closed for the time being, as the review petitions were dismissed on the grounds that they lacked merit and showed no glaring legal errors.
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BEFORE: There was ongoing debate on whether the judiciary might eventually intervene to read gender-neutral terms into civil marriage laws.
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NOW: The Court definitively reiterated that altering the Special Marriage Act is strictly the prerogative of the legislature, permanently shifting the battle for marriage equality to Parliament.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Supreme Court's review jurisdiction and the Supriyo v. Union of India case? 1. Under Article 137 of the Constitution, a review petition is an appeal mechanism that guarantees an open-court rehearing of the entire case. 2. In the Supriyo v. Union of India review petition, the Supreme Court reiterated that legalizing same-sex marriage falls within the domain of the legislature.