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The Madras High Court on Tuesday, 30 March, ordered counselling to the parents of a same-sex couple after the duo seeked protection following threats from their parents.
The court said the counselling should be given by a specialist who has experience in working with LGBTQI (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) individuals.
The court also directed the counsellor to submit a report to the court in a sealed cover by April 26. The court has asked the parents to resolve their differences with the same-sex couple through counselling.
"To be open, I am also trying to break my own preconceived notions about this issue and I am in the process of evolving and sincerely attempting to understand the feelings of the petitioners and their parents, thereafter proceed to write a detailed order on this issue," the Justice N Anand Venkatesh said.
The women, both natives of Tamil Nadu’s Madurai, have been in a relationship for the last two years. While one of them is 22 years of age and pursuing MBA, the other is a 20-year-old undergraduate student. They fled their homes in Madurai and recently reached Chennai after their families opposed the relationship between them. The parents of the women had filed a kidnapping case.
Earlier last week, the court took up the case and made the full hearing to in-camera proceedings due to sensitivity involved in the case.
The couple is now under the care of a Chennai-based NGO.
At the request of the counsels, the judge has sent a request to the chief justice to allow him to continue hearing the case despite the scheduled change of his portfolio from April 1. The next hearing in the case has been posted to April 28.
The State Government's counsel submitted that the police will not interfere in this issue hereafter and the kidnap case filed by the parents will be closed immediately.
Source: newindianexpress.com, thequint.com
Written by Siddhant Sharma
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