Tomorrow, a five-judge Supreme Court constitution bench is scheduled to start hearing a batch of petitions that are seeking the legal validation of same-sex marriages in the country among other rights for same-sex couples. The judges that will sit on the bench are Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice S.K. Kaul, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Justice P.S. Narasimha, and Justice Hima Kohli. Here’s a brief look at the judges and some crucial cases they have presided over.

CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, the 50th Chief Justice of India was part of a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed that the Constitution of India guarantees a fundamental right to privacy. He also wrote a concurring opinion in Shafin Jahan v Ashokan KM (2018) upholding Hadiya’s choice of religion and partner. Another concurring opinion was in Navtej Johar v Union of India (2018) where he cited the decriminalization of Section 377 as the first step in guaranteeing the queer community their constitutional rights. Justice S.K. Kaul was also a part of the nine-judge bench that ruled in favor of The Right to Privacy being a Fundamental Right.

Justice S.R. Bhat delivered landmark judgements in the areas of Intellectual Property Rights, Drug Regulation, and Right to Information. Justice P.S. Narasimha has served as the Additional Solicitor General of India and appeared in the Ayodhya Title Dispute Case in his capacity as a Senior Advocate, where he argued that the site was Lord Ram’s birthplace before the construction of Babri Masjid. Justice Hima Kohli is only the 9th woman to be elevated to the Supreme Court as a judge and gave the judgment in the Amazon-Future-Reliance Dispute.

It’s been a constant tussle over the past few months where the government has maintained its homophobic stand on same-sex marriages. Erstwhile, some organizations and commissions have come in open support for the same, while others have followed a queerphobic path echoing the government (including a group of not-so sanskari former judges). While the composition of the bench is mixed without any queer representation, all eyes are on this bench composed of some Justices whose work has constantly been around human rights and Constitutional Issues to direct hearings towards a favorable path.

The hearings will be livestreamed and can be accessed here.