Nepal Supreme Court confirms marriage equality in landmark directive

The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued a binding directive ordering the government to guarantee equal marriage rights for gender and sexual minorities, a decisive step that secures marriage equality under the country’s constitution.

The June 18, 2026 ruling follows an interim decision from 2023 that provisionally recognized same-sex marriages, Q News reports. That earlier move allowed registrations for couples from gender minority communities, after nine activists challenged marriage laws that defined marriage solely as between a man and a woman. In response, authorities created a separate register for these marriages, and by early 2026, local LGBTQ+ rights organizations had documented thirty-five same-sex marriages, with nine confirmed in local media reports.

In its latest decision, the Supreme Court dismissed a counter-writ filed by Yuvraj Paudel and directed the government to update the civil code, removing discriminatory language and aligning it with constitutional guarantees. Although successive administrations have sometimes delayed or avoided implementing court directives, the Supreme Court’s authority over constitutional interpretation means the government is legally bound to enact this ruling. The judgment offers greater legal security to couples who have already registered their marriages and consolidates the legal basis for future registrations.

Prominent human rights advocate and former parliamentarian Sunil Babu Pant welcomed the verdict, calling it “a historic milestone for equality, dignity, and human rights in Nepal,” and highlighting its role in providing “crucial legal clarity and protection for the rights of same-sex couples.” Pant noted that the ruling builds on principles established in the case of Sunil Babu Pant vs. Government of Nepal and reinforced through subsequent cases, including Maya Surendra’s pioneering registration of a non-traditional heterosexual marriage.

The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s leading LGBTQ+ rights organization, also praised the ruling, describing itself as “excited to witness the next steps from the Government in translating this ruling into practice.” The organization emphasized that the decision is the fourth Supreme Court judgment over nearly two decades to affirm that the freedom to marry the person you love is protected under Nepal’s Constitution, and that LGBTQ+ couples and their families are entitled to the dignity, respect, and protections that civil marriage provides.

As Nepal strengthens legal protections for LGBTQ+ communities, global progress on equality increasingly depends on visibility, connection and economic inclusion. Platforms like myGwork help advance that progress beyond the courtroom by linking LGBTQ+ professionals, inclusive employers and allies worldwide; signing up to myGwork offers a direct way to support and benefit from this growing culture of equality at work.