Gay sex is not offence, HC verdict acceptable: Centre tells SC

Mar 21, 2012 |

New Delhi

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The government on Wednesday clarified its stand on homosexuality before the Supreme Court, saying it is in favour of decriminalisation of gay sex and the Delhi High Court verdict is acceptable to it.

Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati justified the change in the Centre's stand on decriminalisation of gay sex, saying that the government ‘learnt and subsequently got enlightened’ from the Delhi High Court verdict.

Vahanvati, who was on Tuesday 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 bench then queried whether the affidavit filed in the high court by the Home Ministry, opposing gay sex, was wrong. Vahanvati then replied that the government learnt from the HC verdict and took the stand that criminalisation of gay sex is in violation of Fundamental Rights of homosexuals.

"When we read the judgment, we learnt from it and subsequent enlightenment," Vahanvati told the bench, adding, the ‘government accepts correctness’ of high court judgment and didn't file appeal against it.

He also said that the recent goof up in the apex court where Additional Solicitor General P. P. Malhotra opposed gay sex was a result of lack of communication between the law officers and the Home Ministry.

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