After a 10-day hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages on Thursday, 11 May; however, this landmark hearing has drawn people from across the country to discuss whether same-sex marriage should be legalized in India or not.
On Tuesday, 16 May, Mokokchung Law College Students’ Union also conducted a debate competition on the topic “Same Sex Marriage: Should same-sex marriage be legalized in India?” at Mokokchung Law College with Rev Bendang Longkumer, Pastor Artang Baptist Church; Advocate Molodong and Advocate Mapujungla Pongen as the judges.
A total of 12 students participated in the competition where R Kumtsüba (2nd Semester) who spoke in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage was awarded the first place; Sentiakum (4th Semester) and Yentsoi (2nd Semester) who spoke against legalization of the same were adjudged 2nd and 3rd place winners respectively.
Speaking to Mokokchung Times, Sentiakum said the debate was a ‘good experience for a lot of us’. He said that it helped him learn new ideas, broader perspectives and even learnt how to debate.
“At the same time, it helps us understand the core meaning of this particular issue,” he added.
According to Akum, same-sex marriage should not be legalized because it is against the ‘natural law and all the religions of the world’.
“God created man and woman to be together and it is only through a man and a woman that a child can be brought into this world and raise them in the most natural way. Marriage is a union which solely deals with heterosexuals and it has been in practice for centuries and is socially accepted and recognized by everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, R Kumtsüba shared that when people talk about same sex marriage, most views or thoughts are guided by religious perspective. However, according to him, in a country like India which is a democratic country and governed by constitution, rational thinking becomes the most important element while deciding anything.
“Secondly, according to Article 21 of the Indian constitution, the right to marry a person of one’s choice is an element of the right to life. Therefore, the role of society in deciding our choice of spouses is non-existent. Thirdly, most of the people think that same-sex marriage is against the tradition or culture. However, one must note that the constitution of India itself is a “tradition breaker.” For instance, back in the day, inter-caste marriages were not permitted traditionally. However, with time, the context of marriage has changed and it is possible now,” he added.
He further went on to say that saying no to same-sex marriage violates Article 14 and 15, which clearly state that everyone should be treated equally and any discrimination on the ground of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth should be prohibited. Therefore, same-sex marriage should be legal because at the end of the day, it is the only way to find love, to seek physical fulfillment.
Kumtsüba also shared how this debate helped him know more about the present scenario of the same-sex marriage which is currently ongoing in Supreme Court and added that it helped him think critically rather than focus only on religious view.
“Furthermore, it also helped me in developing effective tools in research, organization and presentation,” he added.
It may be mentioned here that the winners of the debate were judged on the basis of the ‘best individual speaker’ and not on the basis of ‘motion or against the motion’.
