SC seeks govt reply to anti-gay petition

The Supreme Court (SC) issued notices to the Centre and NGO Naz Foundation on Monday, seeking a reply by September 14 to petitions challenging the Delhi high court ruling that the sexual orientation of homosexuals and lesbians can’t be criminalised and holding a provision in Section 377 of IPC unconstitutional.

The Christian Apostolic Churches Alliance (Caca), an umbrella of 22 churches in Delhi, and a disciple of yoga guru Baba Ramdev, have separately moved the SC raising common objections to the July 2 ruling empowering at least 6 lakh homosexuals and lesbians to live as they want to.

Ramdev’s disciple SK Tijarawala said if the judgment was not quashed it would have “a catastrophic effect on society’s moral fabric”.

A bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan asked the aggrieved petitioners about the anticipated “adverse consequences’’ for society. The counsel for Caca said, “There is a likelihood of destruction of matrimonial household. The moral fabric of the country has been ruptured by this judgment. It will lead to coming up of brothels for male prostitution and gay parlours’’

Not impressed by that, the judges retorted, “Prostitution is defined under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.”