New Delhi, August 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor has questioned the delay in the functioning of the Centre’s High-Powered Committee set up to examine issues concerning same-sex couples, stating that the panel has held only two meetings in more than two years and is yet to submit any recommendations or report.
The information came in a written reply by the government to an unstarred question raised by Tharoor in the Lok Sabha. According to the reply received by the MP on Tuesday, the committee was constituted following the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Supriyo case.
The government response also stated that the committee’s last meeting was held more than two years ago.
Reacting to the reply, Tharoor said the development reflected a lack of progress in addressing concerns of same-sex couples and securing meaningful rights for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“The Government’s reply to my question lays bare the utter failure of the High-Powered Committee constituted pursuant to the Supreme Court’s Supriyo judgment and more importantly, the Government’s complete lack of political will to address the concerns of same-sex couples and secure meaningful rights for our fellow citizens in the LGBTQIA+ community,” Tharoor said in a social media post.
He said the committee had met only twice since its formation and had not produced any recommendations or report despite the passage of more than two years.
Tharoor argued that interim measures mentioned by the government could not replace comprehensive legal reforms. He said advisories alone could not ensure equal access to housing, employment, healthcare, inheritance rights, joint financial benefits, next-of-kin recognition, medical decision-making or public services.
“If the Government believes these questions should await the Committee’s recommendations, it owes the community an explanation for why the Committee itself has remained virtually inactive for over two years,” he said.
Questioning the purpose behind the committee’s formation, Tharoor asked whether it was constituted only to comply with the Supreme Court’s directions without a genuine intention to advance the issues before it.
Dr Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member, has represented the Thiruvananthapuram constituency continuously since 2009. He also served as a Union Minister in the previous UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh.
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