Going against the wishes of the family members, two cousin sisters got married to each other in Varanasi, which happens to be the first same-sex marriage registered in the holy city.

One of the girls is from Kanpur, who stayed at her sister's place in Varanasi to pursue further studies, according to the priest who conducted the ceremony in a Shiva temple. He had initially refused to perform the rites, however, the girls remained stubborn until the priest relented. Clad in a t-shirt and jeans with a red dupatta atop their heads, they finally exchanged garlands and one of the sisters tied a mangalsutra around the other one's neck. A crowd had gathered outside the temple by then, with several spectators criticizing the priest for performing the rituals.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in India by the Supreme Court in September 2018 and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which regarded homosexuality as a criminal offense, was taken down.