"Familial relationships may take the form of domestic, unmarried partnerships or queer relationships", the Supreme Court has observed, while noting that an ''atypical" manifestation of a family unit is as real as its traditional counterpart and deserves protection under the law.
The predominant understanding of the concept of a "family" both in the law and in society is that ''it consists of a single, unchanging unit with a mother and a father (who remain constant over time) and their children.
"This assumption ignores both, the many circumstances which may lead to a change in one's familial structure, and the fact that many families do not conform to this expectation to begin with. Familial relationships may take the form of domestic, unmarried partnerships or queer relationships," a Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A.S. Bopanna said in an order uploaded on August 28.
