The couple’s experience brings the issue into view
Mayako Pahichan Nepal, the organisation associated with the couple, describes the registration as the outcome of a sustained campaign. Gurung is a transgender woman and Pandey a cisgender man; the case was treated by authorities as a marriage between people with the same legal gender. [2]
An interim order met resistance in practice
Human Rights Watch explained in December 2023 that the Supreme Court’s June order provided for temporary registration while the case remained unresolved. Lower courts had nevertheless refused the couple’s earlier attempts. Researcher Kyle Knight warned that celebrating the first certificate as full marriage equality overlooked those obstacles and the uncertainty surrounding rights.
Rights monitoring records the remaining barriers
Amnesty International’s account of 2023 also documented refusals by lower courts and the November registration in Lamjung. The event marked a concrete administrative breakthrough for one couple. [3]