Nepal becomes first South Asian country to allow same-sex marriage

Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung, who got married six years ago in a Hindu ceremony, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 29 June 2023. The couple's marriage was not legally registered because Maya is transgender, but Nepal's law is due to be changed to allow non-traditional unions. © AP - Niranjan Shrestha

Nepal’s top court has ordered the legal registration of same-sex marriages, a first step towards marriage equality for LGBTQ+ people in conservative South Asia.

Supreme Court judge Til Prasad Shrestha ruled marriages of same-sex and non-traditional couples must be registered as “temporary” until lawmakers come up with a new legal framework to uphold such unions permanently.