Shinde to support Congress Party stand on gay sex

Bangalore – Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said on Saturday he had to support his party’s views on gay sex and will take steps to bring a change in Article 377.

“I am a worker of the party and because the Congress President and Vice-President have already made statements on the need to bring a change in Article 377, I will have to support them,” said Shinde.

In a major setback for the largely closeted homosexual community in India, the apex court had on Wednesday said gay sex between consenting adults is a criminal offence.

The apex court set aside the Delhi High Court’s 2009 judgement that homosexuality should not be treated as a criminal offence, which had been challenged by anti-gay rights activists, social and religious organisations.

The apex court had reserved its order in March last year, after day-to-day hearing in the case lasted an entire month.

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.

Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC makes gay sex a criminal offence entailing punishment up to life term.