by Binod Ghimire

The National Human Rights Commission has said that it is unfortunate that same-sex marriage has not been legalised in the country even though it has been five years since an expert committee recommended legalisation.

The constitutional human rights watchdog, in a report made public on Wednesday, recommended that the government start opening legal channels for same-sex marriage, which has so far been legalised in 29 countries other countries.

As mandated by a landmark 2007 Supreme Court verdict, an expert team formed to study the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage in Nepal had recommended, in 2015, that the government lift legal restrictions preventing marriage between two individuals of the same sex.

“While it is positive that the government has started providing citizenship and passports under the ‘O’, or ‘other’, gender category, it is unfortunate that no steps have been taken to implement the report of the expert team formed as per the Supreme Court verdict,” reads the study report on sexual minorities released on Wednesday.

The December 2007 Supreme Court verdict had not just acknowledged the rights of sexual minorities, but also directed the government to make necessary arrangements—including new laws or amendments to existing ones—to ensure that people of different gender identities and sexual orientations could enjoy their rights without discrimination. Read more via Kathmandu Post