Ciao, Section 377?

There have been rumblings through the grapevine that the petition against Indian Penal Code Section 377 will be argued in front of the Delhi High Court later next month. The petition was initiated in late 2006 by the Naz Foundation; yet, it has been largely ignored despite the Supreme Court order "urging that the matter be heard expeditiously."

IPC 377, as it is commonly referred to, bans “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal,” it in effect criminalizes same-sex sexual activity between men or women, even if it is consensual, between adults, and in private. This act was incorporated into the colonial legal system in India in 1861 and it has been kept on the books after independence; the British have reversed the ban in their own nation decades ago.

Indira Jaising, a well known Indian human rights lawyer, appeared on behalf of the Naz Foundation on Monday to submit the early hearing application. The application is said to have passed and the case has been set for May 19th.

We at Queeristan will keep you posted with any further details as we receive them!