Religious groups tell SC to make gay sex illegal

Continuing to staunchly oppose the de-criminalisation of homosexual sex, religious organisations on Thursday told the Supreme Court that such acts would have dreadful consequences and must be made illegal by the court.

Stating that legalising homosexual sex can lead to a "horrendous situation", a SC bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice SJ Mukhopadhyaya was told to look at gay behaviour as a "disease" that can be cured through counselling and rehabilitation.

"It would be a horrendous situation in Indian society if it is allowed. The organisations (fighting for gay rights) should try to bring such people to national mainstream by providing counselling them," said senior advocate Radha Krishna, appearing for a Catholic organisation.

He said approving such acts is against the concept of family and marriage.

"India has got its own culture, tradition and custom. We cannot follow other culture. These things are being dumped in the country," the Press Trust of India quoted him saying.

Other Christian groups, including Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance too opposed the Delhi High Court order which in 2009 legalised homosexual sex between consenting adults in private.

Section 377 of the colonial Indian Penal Code defined homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and made them illegal.

A Delhi-based social group Krantikari Manuvadi Morcha also opposed the High Court verdict on Thursday.

Citing adultery, sati and dowry, the group said such evils were made crime because Parliament had enacted laws to prohibit them.

Parliament has to see what is wrong and what is good for the society, Morcha lawyer Sushil Jain told the court.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has asked the government for the number of homosexuals in the country and the number of gay men infected with HIV.

Judges GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhyaya said "the data which was put before the Delhi High Court had not been placed here" and ordered the government to provide the information on the next date of hearing.

The government says there are 2.39 million HIV-infected people in India. In 2009, authorities told the Delhi High Court that 8% of homosexuals were HIV-infected.