INDIAN GOV. MAY OK GAY SEX

The Indian government says that it is looking at decriminalising gay sex after it was banned by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The court restored the 153-year-old colonial-era law banning gay sex, stating that the Delhi High Court’s 2009 ruling striking the law down was invalid.

It further ruled that only the government had the authority to repeal the legislation.

Reacting to the ruling, which shocked and outraged the country’s LGBT community, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told the NDTV news channel that he was “extremely disappointed”.

“We have gone back to 1860. The government will look at all options. The legislative option takes time but I am not ruling it out,” he said.

Law and Justice Minister Kapil Sibal also said that he supported repealing the law.

“The government is considering all options to restore the High Court verdict on [Section] 377. We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships,” he wrote on Twitter.

“There are several options open to the government and we are considering all possible options but time is of the essence, we need to take quick action, firm action,” Sibal was also quoted as saying by NDTV.

“The archaic law should be changed, millions of people are affected and these people should not be exposed to 377.”

Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, also expressed her disappointment, describing the law as “archaic” and “unjust,” and said she hoped parliament would deal with the matter.

Despite this, the criminalisation of homosexuality is widely supported by both Muslim and Christian groups as well as by other more conservative parties.

Under the newly restored Section 377 of India’s penal code, homosexuality can be punished with up to life imprisonment.