Supreme Court to Hear Plea On Gay Sex Law

From July 10, 2018, the newly re-constituted bench of five judges will be commencing the hearing on 4 different crucial matters, including the issue of same sex-sexual-relationships. A sexual relationship with a person of the same sex was restored illegal by the Supreme Court in 2013.

IPC Section 377 speaks about natural and unnatural sexual relationships. With the evolving cases and numbers of the homosexual population, the same has been challenged. Petitions regarding the decriminalizing sex between same sex’s consenting adults, which is held as “illegal”, be reviewed. And, curative petitions were filed for a re-examination of the original verdict that was kept aside by SC.

And on their dismissal, curative petitions were filed by the affected parties for the re-examination of the original verdict was set aside by the apex court

As per IPC section 377 “unnatural offences”, if any sexual relationship between any man, woman or animal, voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with an imprisonment sentence for life or with imprisonment with a description for a term (which may extend to 10 years), and also be liable to pay a fine.

The newly constituted five-bench judges of apex court will be headed by Deepak Mishra, Chief Justice of India, and 4 more Justices: R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.