Indian cabinet could report next week on legalisation of gay sex

PinkNews logo on pink background with rainbow corners.

The Indian government could give its official response to a court ruling that decriminalised homosexual acts as early as next week.

Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters yesterday that a decision will be announced soon.

“The Cabinet has been requested to formulate its views,” he said.

“When the Cabinet takes a decision, it will be announced.”

Three Cabinet ministers were asked to consider the ruling by Delhi High Court.

In July it ruled that a ban on gay sex between adults violates India’s constitution.

Section 377 was enacted in 1860 under the British Raj, in line with the anti-sodomy laws in England at the time.

It punishes anyone who “voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” by imprisonment and criminalises a whole range of sexual acts from mutual masturbation, to fellatio and anal sex.

Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidahr said the ban violated fundamental human rights.

The ruling said: “In the Indian Constitution, the right to live with dignity and the right of privacy both are recognised as dimensions of Article 21.

“Section 377 IPC denies a person’s dignity and criminalises his or her core identity solely on account of his or her sexuality and thus violates Article 21 of the Constitution.

“As it stands, Section 377 IPC denies a gay person a right to full personhood which is implicit in notion of life under Article 21 of the Constitution.”

The decision was made in response to a case filed by Naz Foundation India. The ruling can still be opposed by the government.

The health ministry has called for the ban to be scrapped, saying it hampered efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

However, the home ministry opposed the move, saying that gay sex is the product of “a perverse mind.”

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments