Mixed reactions and responses continue to surface over the Supreme Court's decision to 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.
Veteran actor Raza Murad epressed his satisfaction with the apex court's ruling.
"We are happy with the decision. The Supreme Court's decision shouldn't be questioned. I am sure that after a lot of consideration, the Supreme Court arrived at this judgment.Gay sex is against the nature of god and law. There is no bigger law body than the Supreme Court. Nothing is going to happen by supporting gays. There is no scope for agitation or argument over it," said Murad
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said the apex court's decision was wrong in principle.
"To see anything as a crime is very wrong. In some cases, the Supreme Court says that it is not under the Constitution. This is not a crime, but dependent on the individual. We can't criminalise same sex relations which are consensual," said Karat
In Kochi, Kerala, Miss World India 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon said: "Everybody has a right to live their lives as per their wish. It is their right. If they are okay with it, why should it be any one eles's problem. They should be what they are."
The apex court had reserved its order in March last year, after day-to-day hearing in the case lasted an entire month.
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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. Senior BJP leader BP Singhal has challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court, saying such acts are illegal, immoral and against the ethos of Indian culture.
Religious organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance too have challenged the judgement.