India’s Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Banning Gay Sex, Calls Colonial-Era Statute ‘Indefensible’

Associated Press: India’s Supreme Court strikes down law that punished gay sex
“India’s Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a colonial-era law that made gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a landmark victory for gay rights that one judge said would ‘pave the way for a better future’…” (Sharma, 9/7).

CNN: India’s top court decriminalizes gay sex in landmark ruling
“…Section 377, an archaic law imposed during British rule that penalized intercourse ‘against the order of nature,’ had carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The decision to repeal the law is a major victory for India’s LGBT activists and supporters after years of determined struggle…” (Suri, 9/6).

New York Times: India Gay Sex Ban Is Struck Down. ‘Indefensible,’ Court Says.
“…After weeks of deliberation by the court and decades of struggle by gay Indians, Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the law was ‘irrational, indefensible, and manifestly arbitrary’…” (Gettleman et al., 9/6).

Wall Street Journal: India’s Top Court Rules Gay Sex Isn’t a Crime, Striking Down Part of Colonial-Era Law
“…While few members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community were actually prosecuted for the crime, the law was used to blackmail, harass, silence, and shame…” (Pokharel et al., 9/6).

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