India’s Supreme Court set to consider overturning homosexuality ban
Homosexuality has been illegal in the country since 2013
By Joshua Haigh
India’s Supreme Court is once again set to debate the country’s ban on homosexuality.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in 2009 in India, only for the Supreme Court to reinistate the law in 2013 despite a huge public outcry from the LGBT+ community.
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code bans ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’, which under India’s law includes sex between two people of the same sex.
Oddly enough, the out of date law was actually introduced while India was still under British control.
Earlier today (January 8), India’s three Supreme Court judges referred to a petition by dancer Navtej Singh Johar, journalist Sunil Mehra, restaurateur Ritu Dalmia and hotelier Aman Nath.
They asked the court to decriminalise homosexuality because they live in constant fear of the country’s police force because of their “natural sexual orientation”.
“The determination of order of nature is not a constant phenomenon,” said the group.
“Societal morality changes with time, law walks with life. A section of people can’t live in fear of their individual choice. Societal morality changes with time, law walks with life. A section of people can’t live in fear of their individual choice.”