Religious groups say no to Delhi HC's gay ruling

Religious groups on Thursday unitedly condemned the Delhi High Court's ruling that de-criminalised homosexuality last week.

Terming it as "shocking" and "deplorable", representatives of major religious groups, at a joint press conference, condemned the judgment as "unacceptable in a country which has rich cultural and ethical traditions."

The remarks were made in a statement signed by Father Dominic Emmanuel, spokesperson and Director Delhi Catholic Archdiocese; Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; Acharya Lokesh Muni of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati and Daljeet Singh of the Dharma Pracharak Committee of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.

"It is an undeniable fact that unnatural sex undermines the family system, corrupts the social atmosphere, leads to moral degradation and is injurious to health. The attempt to popularise unnatural inclination in the name of democratic rights is totally misguided," they said.

They continued that the "domain of individual rights cannot be extended to include unnatural tendencies and perversions."

"The individual rights, as is well-known, are not absolute but are subject to public order, morality and health. The social fabric cannot be permitted to be disrupted in the name of individual freedom," they added.

They, however, maintained that individuals with homosexual behaviours must not be harassed or victimised, but must be rendered with counseling and treatment.

An All-India campaign will also be launched by the religious leaders who have called on people to voice against the effort by groups that tend to impose the western system.

In a recent verdict, the High Court of Delhi de-criminalised gay sex among consenting adults, which was earlier an offence under section 377 of the India Penal Code (IPC).