The Supreme Court on Friday took over the cases that were pending in various High Courts requesting legal recognition for same-sex marriage.

A bench of three judges, headed by the CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, stated that the petitioners generally agreed to bring the cases to the Supreme Court for a definitive ruling on the issue of ‘same-sex marriage’, particularly on the question of whether it should be included under the Special Marriage Act of 1954.

There were groups of petitions being considered by the High Courts of Delhi, Kerala, and Gujarat. The panel of judges, which also included Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, ordered the central government to submit its response to the petitions by February 15. The court scheduled the case for further instructions on March 13.

The panel of judges requested that the parties submit compiled arguments and relevant court decisions for the court’s consideration during the hearing, in order to facilitate a swift and efficient resolution. Advocates Arundhati Katju and Kanu Agarwal were appointed as nodal counsels, representing the petitioners and the Union respectively, to coordinate the preparations for the court hearing.