Supreme Court refuses to recognize same-sex marriages; And why has Cricket returned to the Olympics after a gap of 33 years?

Please join our WhatsApp channel to get the newsletter directly on chat every evening. No spam, we promise!

Market Watch

• Indian benchmark indices ended the day in the green, with the Sensex increasing 261 points at 66,428 and the Nifty gaining 79 points at 19,811.
• Sectorally, only Nifty Consumer Durables (-0.02%) shed the most, while Oil & Gas (+0.72%) and Financial Services 25/50 (+0.70%) gained the most during the day.

Supreme Court stops short of legalising same-sex marriage; Govt to set up a committee

The Supreme Court of India, in a 3:2 verdict, while ruling that LGBTQ+ rights must be upheld by the state, has refused to give legal recognition to same-sex marriage, saying it is for Parliament to decide on the matter, and not the court.

• The five-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud delivered the much-awaited verdict on petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages.?

The key takeaways: The right to marry cannot be treated as a fundamental right. The Special Marriage Act cannot be called unconstitutional and the courts cannot amend the Special Marriage Act, as this can only be done by Parliament.

• The centre will appoint a committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, to address concerns raised by same-sex couples with regard to adoption, ration cards and succession rights.?
• The right to a relationship and choosing a partner falls within Article 21 of the constitution.

Key observations by the five-judge SC bench: The bench had four judgments; one each by the CJI, Justice Kaul, Justice Bhat and Justice Narasimha with varying levels of agreement and disagreement.?

• CJI: “Law cannot make an assumption on good and bad parenting based on the sexual orientation of individuals,” as this would amount to discrimination.?
• The?CJI has also asked the state governments and the Centre to “sensitise the public about queer rights”, asking the Centre to take steps to ensure that queer community is not discriminated against while emphasizing that“homosexuality isn't an urban elitist concept”.
• Justice S K Kaul?said “tampering with the Special Marriage Act will have a cascading effect,” but added that non-heterosexual unions and heterosexual unions must be seen as both sides of the same coin.

The arguments: The Indian government argued that although homosexuality is decriminalised and LGBTQ+ citizens have rights, the legalisation of same-sex marriage is a separate issue with broader implications.

• The government also pointed out that only a minority of countries worldwide have legalised same-sex marriage, and that a significant societal consensus in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in India is lacking.

Hi, I’m Gaurav Jeyaraman, the editor of this newsletter. We’d like to hear some feedback on our newsletter: what works and what doesn’t work? WhatsApp me directly and tell me what you think.

Cricket officially confirmed for LA Olympics 2028

Cricket has been confirmed as an Olympic sport for the first time since 1900, along with four other sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

• The game is set to be played under the three-hour T20 format and it is expected that there will be six or eight teams each for men and women.

The big picture:?Former IOC director Michael Payne highlighted cricket's growing popularity in the US and the 2032 Olympics being held in cricket-loving Australia as key reasons to consider adding cricket to the Olympic program.

• Such a move could help the IOC, which has been grappling with declining viewership, tap into new markets, notably India with its massive cricket fan base.
• Niccolo Campriani, the Sports Director of the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee, pointed out the global influence of Virat Kohli, which was later interpreted by some as a significant factor contributing to the decision.

Why was it removed??Cricket was removed from the Olympics after the 1900 Paris Games due to a lack of participation.

• Last Word on Sports writes that only 8 to 10 nations can be considered as playing at a competitive level, contributing to the lack of interest among most countries to participate.

Of note: Baseball-softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash were also recently added to the Olympic program.

ICYMI

• The Pentagon is preparing approximately 2,000 US troops for a potential deployment in support of Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas.
• Yet another advisory firm has instructed Reliance Industries’ shareholders to vote against Anant Ambani's appointment to the company’s board due to his limited leadership experience.
• More than a week after Hamas' attack on Israel, over 350 bodies of suspected civilian victims are yet to be identified, with bodies burned beyond recognition and others decayed badly before they were found.
• PM Narendra Modi has instructed the Department of Space to aim to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040 and establish an Indian Space Station by 2035.
• Despite not yet being approved for use in the country, the demand for the weight loss drug semaglutide, known as Ozempic, is on the rise in India, with people shelling out between Rs 10,000 and Rs 80,000 per month.
• After Adani, Reliance and SunTV, now Sony has begun discussions with Walt Disney for a potential acquisition of its India business as a contingency plan due to potential delays in its merger with Zee.