Govt open to 'new thinking' on legalising homosexuality issue

Amid wrangling on legalisation of homosexuality, the Centre on Wednesday said it was open to bringing "new thinking" on the subject.

Amid wrangling on legalisation of homosexuality, the Centre on Wednesday said it was open to bringing "new thinking" on the subject.

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Addressing a press conference, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked Law Minister M Verrappa Moily, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and himself to discuss and take a view on the issue of repealing Section 377 of IPC,which criminalises homosexuality.

"The meeting is being scheduled. We have a new government, we have new ministers, where we have been asked to take a look at it and they can always bring new thinking on the subject and we still reach the same conclusion. But nothing prevents them from bringing new thinking to the subject."

Chidambaram said an affidavit on the issue has been filed by the Home Ministry in the Delhi High Court, which is hearing a PIL on the controversial issue.

"That is the position of the Home Ministry," he said.

On being asked when the Centre is going to notify the amendments of CrPC passed by Parliament, the Home Minister said it was held up by one or two issues on which lawyers have some reservations and those could be resolved soon.

"They can be resolved, they are being resolved and I am hopeful they will be resolved in the next couple of weeks and then we can notify all of them in one go. Piecemeal notifications are not very advisable," he said.

Referring to the ambitious Unique Identity Card scheme, Chidambaram said cost of the whole project would be more than Rs 3,000 crore.