Law students issue statement against BCI’s stand against same-sex marriage  

36 queer collectives from law schools across the country issued a statement condemning the BCI’s remarks that ask the apex court to let Parliament deal with the matter of same-sex marriage.   

Hyderabad: As the Supreme Court of India is listening to arguments regarding same-sex marriage, the Bar Council of India (BCI) passed a resolution requesting the apex court to leave the issue to the Parliament. Countering that, 36 queer collectives from law schools across the country issued a statement condemning the BCI’s remarks.

BCI is a statutory body that regulates legal practice and the education of law in the country. Its members are elected and they represent the Indian bar. Currently, there are 20 members on this board, all of whom are men.

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“As future members of the Bar, it has been alienating and hurtful to see our seniors engage in such hateful rhetoric,” read the three-page statement with a rainbow border.

The #LawStudentsAgainstBCI has been trending on the platform ever since the statement in support of same-sex marriage has been put out, indicating law students stand against the bar’s stand on the issue.

“Having cited no real authority, the BCI blatantly concocts statistics of ‘99.9%’ of Indians opposing same-sex marriage, to run the worn-out theory that queer persons constitute a ‘minuscule minority’… The usage of hateful rhetoric is consistent throughout the Resolution,” the statement reads.

“The BCI feels no shame in calling demands for marriage equality ‘morally compunctive’ and ‘a social experiment’. We condemn this hateful speech in the strongest possible terms,” they added.

The statement stands in solidarity with the queer community of the country and unapologetically calls out the BCI for their “deplorable attempt”.

Read the full statement here.