Same-sex marriage is a "blot on humankind" and there is no need to accept a Supreme Court judgment that legalises it, the Shankaracharya of the Puri Peeth said on Friday.

Swami Nischalananda Saraswati of the Govardhan Math said if such a judgment comes, nature will punish the judges. The matter comes within the purview of religious leaders and not a subject to be decided by the court, he added.

"Same-sex marriage is a blot on humankind and there is no need to accept a decision if it is legalised by the Supreme Court," the Shankaracharya, who is on a two-day visit to Jaipur, told reporters here.

He also said that marriage occupies the first place in the religious sphere.

A five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices SK Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, PS Narasimha and Hima Kohli is hearing arguments on a batch of pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages.

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