Centre tells Delhi HC same-sex partners can be nominated for medical decisions

The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that an adult can nominate a partner, including one in a non-heterosexual relationship, to make medical decisions if they become incapacitated, potentially opening the way for same-sex partners to act for each other despite existing rules not clearly recognising such arrangements.

The submission comes in a case filed by Arshiya Takkar, who has been in a relationship with her partner since 2015 and married her in New Zealand in 2023. Her plea highlighted that in the event of a medical emergency, she could be left without any legal mechanism to make critical decisions for her partner, despite the couple having lived together in Delhi since 2018.