‘House best suited to take a call on same-sex marriage’

NEW DELHI: A day after the Bar Council of India opposed hearings on same- sex marriage before the Supreme Court, all district court bar associations of Delhi “expressed displeasure” at the proceedings before the apex court.
The coordination committee of all district court bar associations of Delhi passed a resolution on Monday, saying that Parliament would be “best suited” to take a call on the matter.
In the resolution, the committee said the social ramifications of the ongoing proceedings are colossal and have the potential for an unintended impact on the social fabric.
“The regulation and legalisation of marriage can only be determined by the legislature through due legislative process, which involves consultation with all relevant stakeholders as the legislative body reflects the collective wisdom and conscience of the nation and takes into account cultural values, social standards, and other factors that define acceptable human behaviour when making decisions about regulating, permitting, or prohibiting human relationships,” the bar bodies said.
“It is important that issues that have the potential to affect society at large are discussed and debated in the Parliament where elected representatives can take into account the views and concerns of their constituents,” the resolution read.
It said the issue is deeply entrenched in societal norms, values, and beliefs and a decision made in isolation, without the benefit of the view of the society, is likely to be ineffective and may even be counterproductive