India government calls same-sex marriage appeals 'urban elitist views'

A participant waves a flag during Queer Azadi Pride, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, in Mumbai, India, February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Court appeals in India to legalise same-sex marriage are "urban elitist views", the government has said in a new court document that seeks the dismissal of the challenge and says that parliament is the right platform to debate the matter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has already opposed the appeals, including some by gay couples, on the grounds that same-sex marriages are not "comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, a wife and children".