TOPIC : INDIA MUST RECOGNISE NEW FAMILY STRUCTURES, LEGALLY

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court, in its recent judgement delivered on the 16^th of August, has widened the legal definition of a family, ruling that family benefits be extended to same-sex couples, blended families and other families the court considers “atypical.”The decision establishes a precedent to further India’s easing of the conservative (and anti-LGBTQ +) laws from the colonial era. “Familial relationships may take the form of domestic, unmarried partnerships or queer relationships,” the court stated, adding that the law “must not be relied upon to disadvantage families which are different from traditional ones.” In this article, we will analyse the issue in detail.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JUDGEMENT

• The SC ruled that atypical families were as deserving of both legal protection and benefits of social welfare legislation as traditional families.
• The conformation to the heteronormativity of the term ‘family’ leaves out a section of our population from enjoying various facets of life. Certain laws in India are non-accommodative of emerging modern families.
• The Supreme Court observed that atypical families were as deserving of both legal protection and the benefits of social welfare legislation as traditional families. Structural as well as attitudinal changes are essential for the progress of the family system.
• Equality is not achieved with the decriminalisation of homosexuality alone but must extend to all spheres of life, including the home, the workplace, and public places. Till today, the LGBTQ + community remains closed off to civil rights.

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT LAWS

SAME-SEX MARRIAGES

• The Supreme Court of India has decriminalised homosexuality by partially striking down section 377 of the IPC.
• Same-sex couples now have the legal right to cohabit and conduct their personal affairs without any fear of persecution, but the law does not permit same-sex marriages in India yet.
• Denial of the basic legal right to marry based on sexual orientation is objectionable and unconstitutional, violating the constitutional rights of the right to equality and liberty.
• LGBTQ + people do not get legal and social recognition as well as the state benefits that married people enjoy.

ADOPTION

• In India, adoption is governed by both secular as well as personal laws. For Hindus, there is the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, of 1956 (HAMA), and for other religions, there is the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act, 2015.
• The latter Act is secular and allows adoption regardless of the religion of the person. Adoption laws discriminate against LGBTQ + couple. According to regulation 5(3) of the Adoption Regulation Act, 2017, the words “‘husband” and “wife” are used and do not recognise the right to adoption in the case of same-sex couples.
• There is a different set of adoption rules applied in the case of men and women, and thus the applicability of such laws with regard to trans-couples will lead to ambiguity.
• There is no clarity about how the adoption laws shall operate if a person undergoes a sex change. Same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt a child and there are no laws for the same.

SURROGACY

• The new surrogacy bill passed in Parliament prohibits single people and LGBTQ+ to have their own children through surrogacy.
• This new bill reiterates the notions of the “archaic family system” which is not in sync with new modern families.
• The essentials of the bill are so stringent that even a heterosexual couple cannot fulfil the requisite condition. The essentials of the bill are so stringent that even a heterosexual couple cannot fulfil the requisite conditions.

INHERITANCE LAWS

• Hindus are governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, while Muslims and Parsis have their own customary laws and then there is an Indian Succession Act, 1925 which applies to all Indians who are married under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
• Gender is irrelevant when it comes to inheritance, inheritance happens based on nearness, but then inheritance laws are restricted only to heterosexual marriages. So, to apply the principles of inheritance to the LGBTQ + community, it is essential to recognise the concept of same-sex marriage.
• There have been constant demands for the legal recognition of Hijra families, especially after the NALSA judgement.
• However, the law continues to undermine the legal existence of such families firstly in the subsequent versions of the Private Member Bills in 2014 and then after the passing of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, in 2019.
• The language of laws should be made completely gender-neutral so that even transgender people or the person who undergoes sex change shall face no discrimination in inheritance.

MATERNITY BENEFITS

• At present, the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 provides maternity leaves and benefits only to cisgender women who give birth, adopt, or rely on surrogacy to have a child.
• There are two implications of this law.
• Firstly, it reiterates the same archaic ideas and notions that it is the sole responsibility of the mother to take care of and nurture the child while the father can be waived this duty. Secondly, it does not take into cognisance the fact that there can be a possibility of alternative families such as the LGBTQIA + families.
• Therefore, it is essential that the language of this law must be gender-neutral so that even LGBT + families can also have access to parental benefits and further, it can also serve as a progressive step in the direction to eliminate gender biases reinforced by the maternity benefit legislation. Indian society is still very conservative when it comes to marriage.

THE WAY FORWARD

• Indian society is still very conservative when it comes to marriage. Indians are still not able to accept inter-caste marriages, therefore, accepting same sex marriage is still too far fetched, but this cannot be a valid justification to deny the whole LGBTQ + community the right to marry.
• Reform for LGBTQ + inclusion cannot be complete without a law recognising the concept of “families of choice”. Family laws remain exclusionary because they do not account for gender beyond the binary and the many diverse forms of relationships that exist in a society, which may or not be based on conjugality. Some of the restrictions can now be potentially challenged under the robust framework of equality and non-discrimination that has been recognised.
• The LGBTQ community needs an anti-discrimination law that empowers them to build productive lives and relationships irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation and places the onus to change on the state and society and not the individual.
• Government bodies, especially those related to Health and Law and Order need to be sensitised to ensure that the LGBTQ community is not denied public services or harassed for their sexual orientation.

THE CONCLUSION: Though there are many judgments to mention the role of the judiciary in upholding the rights of the LGBT community, there are challenges to implementing these judgments in letter and spirit. Judiciary played its role, and now government and society has to play their role by giving rights and acceptance to the LGBT community.

QUESTION FOR MAINS EXAMINATION:

Q1. “Same-sex parents and other “atypical” or non-traditional families in India are now eligible for the same social benefits as “traditional” families”. Discuss in light of the recent judgement by the Supreme Court.

Q2. Examine the role played by the judiciary in protecting and promoting the rights of the LGBT community.