"To say that because you have a particular ideology, you are therefore biased, is a reason to stop appointing judges altogether. Because every judge would have some kind of view point owing to where they came from."
Those were the words of Senior Delhi High Court Advocate Saurabh Kirpal, whose appointment as a Delhi High Court judge has been objected to by the central government on the grounds that honesty about his sexual orientation would lead to "bias and prejudice."
Kirpal openly identifies as a gay man – and lives with his partner in New Delhi.
In response to the centre's objections, the Supreme Court collegium had, on 18 January, said that it was unconstitutional to reject someone based on their sexual orientation.