India’s Attorney General G E Vahanvati said yesterday that Manmohan Singh’s government agrees with country’s High Court’s recent ruling that gay sex is not offensive.
Vahanvati, who was yesterday asked by a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya to clarify the government’s stand on the issue, said there is no legal error in the high court judgment and “it is acceptable to us (government)”.
The Delhi High Court had in 2009 decriminalised gay sex as provided in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.
Senior Hinditva BJP leader B P Singhal has challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court, saying such acts are illegal, immoral and against the ethos of Indian culture.
Religious organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance too have challenged the judgement.
The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Right, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munn Kazhgam, astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal and yoga guru Ramdev have also opposed the verdict.
According to Indian sources, there are over three million gays and lesbians in one billion population. The US has a population of over 28 million gays and lesbian within 304 million population. However, no country can beat Tel Aviv’s reputation as the Pink City.
India: ‘Same gender sex is kosher’ | Rehmat calling
Vahanvati, who was yesterday asked by a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya to clarify the government’s stand on the issue, said there is no legal error in the high court judgment and “it is acceptable to us (government)”.
The Delhi High Court had in 2009 decriminalised gay sex as provided in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.
Senior Hinditva BJP leader B P Singhal has challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court, saying such acts are illegal, immoral and against the ethos of Indian culture.
Religious organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance too have challenged the judgement.
The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Right, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munn Kazhgam, astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal and yoga guru Ramdev have also opposed the verdict.
According to Indian sources, there are over three million gays and lesbians in one billion population. The US has a population of over 28 million gays and lesbian within 304 million population. However, no country can beat Tel Aviv’s reputation as the Pink City.
India: ‘Same gender sex is kosher’ | Rehmat calling