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New Delhi.
The Indian government sought to clarify its views on homosexuality on Tuesday,
saying it “fully” backed a 2009 court order decriminalizing gay sex despite the
objections of a top state lawyer last week.
During a
hearing in the Supreme Court last Thursday, additional solicitor general P.P.
Malhotra had called gay sex “against nature” in a submission that caused
outrage among gay rights activists.
The home
ministry later sought to disown the comments, causing confusion about the
government’s stance on the highly sensitive social issue.
On Tuesday,
another additional solicitor general, Mohan Jain, stressed that his views were
those of the government, which he said fully supported a Delhi High Court
decision in 2009 to decriminalize gay sex.
“It’s a
government of India decision that there is no legal error in the judgment of
the Delhi High Court,” Mohan told the Supreme Court, which is hearing several
appeals seeking to overturn the decriminalization decision.
The 2009
judgment to overturn the colonial-era ban on gay sex was hailed by gay
activists at the time as a major victory in their fight for equal rights and
opportunities in the world’s biggest democracy.
A
conviction for gay sex carried a fine and maximum 10-year jail sentence.
Prosecutions were rare, but activists said police used the law to harass and
intimidate homosexuals.
Agence France-Presse
Related Article:
Indian Ministry Denies Calling for Ban on Gay Sex
 |
| The 148-year-old colonial law was overturned in 2009 |
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