📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Cabinet Secretariat
Politics
Cabinet Secretary‑Led LGBTQIA+ Panel Meets Only Twice in 2 Years; Report Still Awaited
✍️ NDTV
🗓 05 Aug 2026, 07:40 AM
👁 29
A government panel set up after the Supreme Court's 2023 same‑sex marriage ruling has convened only twice in more than two years, and its findings remain unpublished.
A Cabinet Secretary‑led committee was formed following the Supreme Court’s 2023 verdict recognising same‑sex marriage rights, with a mandate to examine discrimination, welfare access, healthcare and other entitlements for queer couples.
The government has said the panel has met only twice since its inception, with sessions held in 2024 and early 2025, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and comprising senior officials from several ministries.
Although the committee is expected to deliver a comprehensive report on the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, the findings have yet to be released and no timeline has been announced.
Civil‑society groups have criticised the delay, arguing that timely recommendations are essential to implement the Supreme Court’s decision and secure equal rights for queer couples.
The government has said the panel has met only twice since its inception, with sessions held in 2024 and early 2025, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and comprising senior officials from several ministries.
Although the committee is expected to deliver a comprehensive report on the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, the findings have yet to be released and no timeline has been announced.
Civil‑society groups have criticised the delay, arguing that timely recommendations are essential to implement the Supreme Court’s decision and secure equal rights for queer couples.