Ananya Kotia and lawyer Utkarsh Saxena got engaged after the Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling
On Wednesday, a gay couple in Delhi, undeterred by the Supreme Court’s recent decision not to legalize same-s*x marriages, publicly exchanged rings in front of the court.
The court, while declining to sanction same-s*x marriages, emphasized the nation’s responsibility to recognize LGBTQ relationships and shield them from discrimination.
Who are Ananya Kotia and lawyer Utkarsh Saxena as gay couple gets engaged in Delhi infront of the Supreme Court
Yesterday hurt. Today, @utkarsh__saxena and I went back to the court that denied our rights, and exchanged rings. So this week wasn't about a legal loss, but our engagement. We'll return to fight another day. pic.twitter.com/ALJFIhgQ5I
— Kotia (@AnanyaKotia) October 18, 2023
Their photo has captured the internet’s attention, drawing a flood of congratulations for the couple.
In a social media post, Ananya Kotia, a PhD student at the London School of Economics, reflected on the previous day’s disappointment and shared the couple’s engagement story at the very court that had denied their rights.
He stated, “Yesterday was painful. Today, @utkarsh__saxena and I returned to the court that denied our rights and exchanged rings. So, this week was not about a legal setback but about our engagement. We will continue to fight another day.”
The post received numerous likes and congratulations from users of the platform. Utkash Saxena, Kotia’s partner, is not only a Supreme Court lawyer but also a development economist and a petitioner advocating for the right to same-s*x marriage in India.
Journey
The couple’s journey began during their college days in Hansraj College in Delhi when Kotia went for an audition for the debating society. At that time, he was in his first year, while Saxena was in his third year.
“We were both somewhat nerdy and geeky, deeply interested in politics, news, and current affairs. This is how we started connecting and quickly realized that what we had was something truly special. I had never experienced anything like this before, and neither had he,” Saxena shared in an interview earlier this year.
Their confession of being queer and gay for the first time was to each other. Earlier this year, lawyers representing several same-s*x couples had implored the court to grant full legal recognition to their relationships.
SC Decision
However, the five-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, asserted that the decision to extend marriage equality rested with the parliament.
He explained during the verdict, “The authority to establish laws governing marriage lies within the jurisdiction of the parliament and state legislatures.”
A pivotal Supreme Court ruling In 2018 invalidated the British colonial-era law that criminalized gay s*x, and last year, the court affirmed that unmarried partners and same-sex couples were entitled to welfare benefits.
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