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The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre and Attorney General R Venkataramani on two pleas by gay couples seeking a direction that their marriage be recognised under the special marriage law. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli heard the brief submissions of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi before issuing the notices on the pleas. Issue notice returnable in four weeks. Liberty to serve the central agency. Notice be also issued to the Attorney General for India, the bench said. The pleas sought direction seeking recognition of the marriage of two gay couples under the the Special Marriage Act. One plea was filed by gay couple Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang who live in Hyderabad. The second plea was filed by gay couple Parth Phiroze Mehrotra and Uday Raj. They seek a direction that the right to marry a person of one's choice be extended to persons belonging to LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and Queer). The plea sa
Singapore's decision to decriminalise sex between men is being hailed as a step in the right direction for LGBTQ rights in the Asia-Pacific region, a vast area of nearly 5 billion people with different laws and attitudes. Although many places have decriminalised sexual acts between people of the same sex, only a few allow same-sex marriage, partnerships or unions. Singapore tempered its decision by saying it will amend its constitution to prevent such unions from ever taking place. Many of the region's bans on sex between men were instituted under British colonial rule in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the laws describe such acts as violations against the order of nature. Here are some details on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region: AUSTRALIA All states and territories repealed gay sex bans between 1975 and 1997, while Parliament legalised same-sex marriage throughout the country in 2017. The age of consent became equal for all sexual acts as of 2016. People convicted for