Cabinet to discuss court ruling on gay sex, says PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that the union cabinet will soon discuss the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising homosexuality. "I will seek views and see if anything needs to be done or said on this (the court verdict)," the prime minister told reporters while returning from the G8-G5 summit in Italy.

Updated on: Jul 11, 2009, 21:15:47 IST

IANS | By HT Correspondent, On Board Air India One

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that the union cabinet will soon discuss the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising homosexuality.

"I will seek views and see if anything needs to be done or said on this (the court verdict)," the prime minister told reporters while returning from the G8-G5 summit in Italy.

The Delhi High Court July 2 decriminalised the sex between two consenting adults of the same gender. Defined as unnatural sex under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, homosexuality was earlier punishable with imprisonment up to life.

The high court verdict received a lot of opposition from religious leaders. On July 9, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice KG Balkrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam issued notice to the government to explain its stand on a petition challenging the Delhi High Court's ruling. The apex court has posted the matter for hearing on July 20.

The prime minister said he was yet to discuss it with his cabinet colleagues and would study the matter first.

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