The Supreme Court started hearing arguments on a series of petitions Tuesday that seek to have same-sex weddings recognised legally, which is a contentious topic with broad cultural implications. Amid this, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri took to his Twitter handle and stated that same-sex marriage is not an ‘urban elitist’ concept.
Reacting to an ongoing case in the Supreme Court, Vivek Agnihotri tweeted, "NO. Same-sex marriage is not an ‘urban elitist’ concept. It’s a human need. Maybe some sarkari (government) elites drafted it, who have never travelled in small towns and villages. Or Mumbai locals. First, same-sex marriage is not a concept. It’s a need. It’s a right. And in a progressive, liberal and inclusive civilisation like Bharat, same-sex marriage should be normal, not a crime."
The Kashmir Files director was reacting to a tweet that read, "Centre tells Supreme Court that same-sex marriage is an urban elitist concept, which is far removed from social ethos of country. Extending same-sex marriage beyond heterose*ual unions will create a new institution, centre says."
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta reflected similar thoughts, as he shared a still from Modern Love: Mumbai. He tweeted, "Come on Supreme Court! Pave the path. Legalise same-sex marriages."
A group of petitions for the legal recognition of same-sex weddings in the nation are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court constitution bench, which is made up of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices SK Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, PS Narasimha, and Hima Kohli, on Tuesday. The Centre, though, has been opposing the notion.