Legal cover to same sex marriage will have adverse impact on Indian society: Survey

New Delhi: Same sex marriage is against the natural order of humanity and it will have an adverse impact on Indian society if legalised, a Pune-based women's organisation has claimed in a survey report.

In its report, the Drishti Stree Adhyayan Prabodhan Kendra, which follows the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) line of thought, said that some people also believe that "legalisation of such marriages will create and promote anarchy and chaos in society".

Responses of 57,614 people in 13 languages from across the country were taken for the survey on "the potential impact of same sex marriage on women, children and society if it gets a legal cover", it said.

The respondents were from four different age groups and they identified themselves as "male, female and other gender". The report said according to data collected, "it has been observed that the majority of the received responses suggest a rigid approach for accepting 'same sex marriages' in the personal sphere of their life".

"It also indicates that majority of individuals believe that legalising same sex marriages will adversely impact Indian society," according to the survey report of the women's study centre.

"There also seemed to exist some anxiety among certain individuals that legalisation of such marriages will create and promote anarchy and chaos in society," it said.

Of those surveyed, the highest number of responses (26,525) came from people in the 41-60 years age group, followed by 16,284 in the 26-40 age group and 6,068 in the 18-25 age group, the report said.

It said while 83.9 per cent of the respondents identified the same sex marriage issue as a "serious concern" in the country, 91 per cent think it is not appropriate to legalise same sex marriage.

The report noted that there is "a considerable number of individuals who think that same sex marriages are actually against the natural order of humanity and rather it disturbs the balance of the natural order".

It said that as many as 75 per cent of the respondents believe that same sex relationships are "not a natural phenomenon". "Increasing percentage of respondents have this belief in higher age groups," the report said.

It said answering an open-ended question in the survey, several respondents mentioned countries where same sex marriages after legalisation "faced several judicial and social problems".

The report said that a "large majority of respondents across age groups and genders said they will not support same sex marriage in their own family or extended family". There are individuals who in their replies to the survey have mentioned that no religion across the world "either permit or support same sex marriages", it said.

Several respondents pointed to the threat that legalisation of same sex marriage can pose to both men and women, "who in case are sexually harassed by the other gender will have no hopes to cling to for their case to be justified as there is no legal framework for any such situation", the report said.

"Higher age group respondents have expressed concern over early age exposure to sexuality and need for education system to find a solution to educating children on such topics at appropriate age and manner," it said.

Based on the responses received in the survey, the organisation said, "We conclude that there is a loud and clear mandate against (the demand for legalisation of) same sex marriage."

There are concerns over societal and legal implications of same sex marriages, it said, stressing on the need for further study on the implications of such marriages before it is given legal cover.

The Drishti Stree Adhyayan Prabodhan Kendra has made its survey report available in public domain, asking experts from different fields to share their interpretations and research findings.

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage after a marathon hearing of 10 days.

The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which was hearing the matter, observed that it cannot give a declaration on the anticipation as to how Parliament is likely to respond to it.