Attorney general: Centre fully accepts decriminalization of gay sex

 Attorney general G E Vahanvati informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Centre has fully accepted the Delhi high court verdict, which decriminalized consensual gay sex between adults in private. The Centre clarified its stand on homosexuality, saying there is no error in decriminalization of gay sex.

The Supreme Court had sought assistance from the attorney general in view of contradictory stand taken before the Supreme Court and high court.

Vahanvati said though the government had opposed dilution of Section 377 as far as consensual gay sex in private was concerned, it later realised that the high court verdict was correct. The HC verdict decriminalizing homosexuality is acceptable to us, he stressed. We learnt and got subsequently enlightened after the verdict, he added.

Criminalizing gay sex among consenting adults in private is violation of fundamental rights, the attorney general added on the Centre's behalf.