On this day, a year ago, the verdict of decriminalising section 377 was lauded across the country. On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, had finally struck down the archaic law criminalising homosexuality in India.
“Section 377, to the extent it criminalises sexual acts between consenting adults, whether homosexual or heterosexual, is unconstitutional,” chief justice Misra and justice Khanwilkar said in their judgment. The decriminalisation of homosexuality has helped a lot of people to come out of the closet. This is what people think about the same after a year.
A bench consisting of chief justice Dipak Misra and justices DY Chandrachud, AM Khanwilkar, Indu Malhotra, and Rohinton Fali Nariman began hearing petitions against section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in July last year. On September 6, in a unanimous verdict, the court ruled that homosexuality is no longer a crime in India, and that the members of LGBTQ community have the same sexual rights as any other citizen.