Marriage Equality Petitioners Urge Supreme Court for Open Court Hearing of Review Petitions

New Delhi, India — Petitioners seeking a review of the Supreme Court's decision on marriage equality have requested an open court hearing of their petitions. Senior Advocate NK Kaul, representing one of the review petitioners, made this request to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, emphasizing the matter's significant public interest. "We would humbly request, would Your Lordships consider that in public interest these hearings could happen in open court, my lords?" Kaul asked, highlighting the widespread impact of the issue. However, the CJI noted that traditionally, review petitions are conducted in chambers, not in open court. The Supreme Court is set to review its earlier decision in Supriyo v. Union of India on July 10. In the original ruling, the Court declined to recognize same-sex marriages as legally valid. The review petitions will be assessed by a newly composed bench, as Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and S Ravindra Bhat, who were part of the original five-judge bench that delivered the judgment, have since retired. The petitioners' call for an open court hearing underscores the ongoing debate and the importance of transparency in judicial proceedings related to marriage equality in India.