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The Supreme Court today set aside the Delhi High Court verdict decriminalising gay sex and upheld the legality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, entailing imprisonment with upto life term.
Following is the chronology of the 12-year-long legal proceedings:
2001 : An NGO fighting for gay rights, Naz Foundation, files PIL in Delhi High Court seeking legalisation of gay sex among consenting adults.
September 2, 2004 : High Court dismisses the PIL seeking decriminalisation of gay sex.
September : Gay right activists file review petition.
November 3 : High Court dismisses the review plea.
December : Gay rights activists approach the apex court against the order of the High Court.
April 3, 2006 : Apex court directs the High Court to reconsider the matter on merit and remands the case back to High Court.
October 4 : High Court allows senior BJP leader B.P Singhal’s plea, opposing decriminalising gay sex, to be impleaded in the case.
September 18, 2008 : Centre seeks more time to take stand on the issue after the contradictory stand between the Home and Health ministries over decriminalisation of homosexuality.
High Court refuses the plea and final argument in the case begins.
September 25 : Gay rights activists contend that the government cannot infringe upon their fundamental right to equality by decriminalising homosexual acts on the ground of morality.
September 26 : High Court pulls up the Centre for speaking in two voices on the homosexuality law in view of contradictory affidavits filed by Health and Home ministries.
September 26 : Centre says gay sex is immoral and a reflection of a perverse mind and its decriminalisation would lead to moral degradation of society.
October 15, 2008 : High Court pulls up the Centre for relying on religious texts to justify ban on gay sex and asks it to come up with scientific reports to justify it.
November : Government in its written submission before the High Court says judiciary should refrain from interfering in the issue as it is basically for Parliament to decide.
November 7 : High Court reserves its verdict on petitions filed by gay rights activists seeking decriminalisation of homosexual acts.
July 2, 2009 : High Court allows plea of gay rights activists and legalises gay sex among consenting adults.
July 9 : Delhi astrologer challenges High Court verdict in Supreme Court.
Later on, several others including BJP leader Singhal (since dead), religious organisations, rights activists and yoga guru Ramdev’s disciple have also opposed the judgement.
February 15, 2012 : Supreme Court begins final day-to-day hearing in the case.
March 27, 2012 : Supreme Court reserves verdict.
December 11, 2013 : Supreme Court sets aside the 2009 Delhi High Court order which had decriminalised gay sex.
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