Nepal’s Top Court Legalizes Same Sex Marriage

The supreme court of Nepal has issued an interim order that legalizes marriages between same sex couples. Supreme Court Justice Til Prasad Shrestha’s single bench issued the interim order on June 29 to the government of Nepal to put in place a transitional mechanism that allows marriage registration of same sex couples.

This calls for amendment to the provisions related to marriage and registered marriages within the current Civil Code, 2017. The existing Civil Code definition of marriage only recognizes marriage between same-sex couples restricting the definition of relationship between sexual and gender minorities.

Now with the order of Nepal’s top court, the marriage rights of individuals based on their gender identity and sexual orientation are recognized. The Court has further directed Nepal government to establish a separate register of marriages for couples from sexual and gender minority communities.