CJI DY Chandrachud's legacy: His powerful statements during same-sex marriage judgment echoed with the queer community

Chandrachud retires on November 10, he will leave with one of the most significant legacies in the history of the Supreme Court.

There has never been a CJI as prolific as Chandrachud in terms of judicial output. He has written 92 judgments as CJI, more than his last 4 predecessors put together. To put things in perspective, the last CJI who served a similar 2-year term, SH Kapadia authored 27 judgments, less than a third of Chandrachud. “This is a testament to how incredibly hard-working Chandrachud has been as CJI,” wrote Anrghya Sengupta Research Director, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, for TOI.

The 50th CJI played a pivotal role in several crucial cases, including the decision where a 5-judge bench headed by him unanimously ruled against legalising same-sex marriage in India.

Chandrachud operated at an incredibly high level of reasoning, logic and nuance, says Mr Sengupta. “Judges are often required to be like surgeons — making the finest of cuts to get the job done. Chandrachud was one of the finest of them all,” he adds.

Same-sex marriage:

A batch of petitions before the Supreme Court last year sought the recognition of same-sex marriages under law, arguing that the right to marry a person of one's choice should extend to LGBTQIA+ citizens as well. The government had opposed the petitions.

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