SC verdict on Section 377 to help make truly pluralistic society: Senior lawyer

The Supreme Court's judgment that decriminalized homosexuality would help in making a truly pluralistic society and in the long run promote equality, senior advocate Anand Grover said Friday.

The Supreme Court in its landmark judgment last week unanimously struck down part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalized gay sex, saying it violated the constitutional right to equality and dignity.

In a discussion on the recent judgment, Grover said many people gave up fighting for their rights after gay sex was criminalized in 2013 but the recent judgment has empowered them again.

"The Supreme Court's judgment that decriminalized gay sex would help in bringing a truly pluralistic society and in the long term it would help in bringing equality," he said.

Noor Enayet, an LGBT rights activist, said the judgment was a relief.

"Section 377 criminalized my existence and striking it empowered me, I am not a criminal anymore," she said.

"The 2013 judgment helped in bringing the discussion on gay sex to the mainstream. People from all sections came out in support of it," she said.

In its 493-page judgment, the Supreme Court held that Section 377 was used as a weapon to harass members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community, resulting in discrimination.

The apex court legalized consensual gay sex, striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality and triggering celebrations among LGBTQ activists who welcomed it as a harbinger of a more inclusive India.