Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Supreme Court upholds Section 377 criminalizing gay sex

The high court ruling was strongly opposed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India’s Muslim and Christian communities, who argued that all homosexual acts were unnatural.New Delhi: In a big blow to gay rights in India, the Supreme Court upheld a law criminalizing homosexual sex on Wednesday, setting aside a landmark Delhi high court decision in 2009 which had overturned the colonial-era ban.A two-judge bench ruled that the courts should not intervene and that it was up to Parliament to legislate on the issue. “It is up to Parliament to legislate on this issue,” justice G.S. Singhvi, the head of the two-member bench, said in the ruling.A two-judge bench rul
In recent years, however, the country’s gay community has raised its profile, organizing gay pride marches in major cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai, which activists say have helped create awareness and encouraged many to come out of the closet.
ed that the courts should not intervene and that it was up to Parliament to legislate on the issue. “It is up to Parliament to legislate on this issue,” justice G.S. Singhvi, the head of the two-member bench, said in the ruling.
The high court ruling was strongly opposed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India’s Muslim and Christian communities, who argued that all homosexual acts were unnatural.
They appealed the ruling to the apex court, which concluded hearings in March last year on the subject. Significantly, the government had not appealed against the high court verdict.
Gay sex has long been a taboo subject in conservative India, where homophobic tendencies abound with slapstick portrayals of same-sex couples and with many still regarding homosexuality as an illness.
 
pratima kumari
pgdm 1st sem

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