On Wednesday, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court remarked that he is not fully aware of the concept of a same-sex relationship, he will take psycho-education sessions to understand the same in a better way.
The judge said it would help him to understand same-sex relationships better and pave the way for my development.
The development occurred during a hearing of a protection petition filed by a same-sex couple.
Significantly, the judge had earlier asked the couple and their parents to undergo counseling in order to understand each other better.
As significant progress was made between the parties, the court was asked to issue some guidelines to deal with cases of similar nature, so that individuals involved in same-sex relationships are treated with respect and ensure their safety as well.
As far as the parties in the case are concerned, the Court stated that the petitioner-couple is safely taken care of by an NGO and they continue to talk regularly with their parents as well.
However, parents had expressed various concerns about the stigma associated with same-sex couples and confusion regarding offspring, adoption, and other common outcomes that follow a heterosexual relationship.
Against this backdrop, the court stated that the development (of the parents) cannot take place at night and requires constant effort to change it.
It, therefore, directed the parents of the petitioners to undergo another round of consultation with the concerned psychologist.
