[Reader-list] PM intervenes in Standoff on 377 Case

[Lawrence Liang]

Two stories on the ongoing 377 case: Some of the comments in the first story
are really worth reading



http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/16gay.htm

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/15gay.htm


*PM intervenes in Patil-Ramadoss tiff over gay sex*

October 16, 2008 15:59 IST
The tug-of-war between Home Minister Shivraj Patil [Images] and Health
Minister Anbumani Ramadoss over legalising homosexuality on Thursday reached
the Union Cabinet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] asking them to
sit together and sort out the issue.

"The prime minister has directed the two ministers to sit together and
discuss the matter and sort out differences," Science and Technology
Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

He said the cabinet deferred a decision on the issue which was being argued
before the court.

The Delhi [Images] high court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation
challenging the legality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which bans
sexual relations among the people of the same gender.

"Whatever the court decides, we will agree," Sibal said.

The court had on Wednesday pulled up the Centre for relying on religious
texts to justify the prohibition on gay sex in the country and asked it to
come up with scientific reports to justify it.

The issue has become controversial with Ramadoss saying that he would take
up the matter with the prime minister after his ministry was ticked off by
the home ministry before the court.

The home ministry is opposing the health ministry's suggestion for
legalising homosexuality.

The home ministry has suggested not to decriminalise gay sex on moral
grounds while the health ministry has proposed to abolish the penal
provision which carries a punishment of up to life imprisonment for such
acts.

The health minister had sought legalisation of homosexuality arguing tat it
can help in better treatment of people suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The National Aids Control Organisation, in its affidavit filed on behalf of
Union health ministry, had said that gay sex among consenting adults should
be decriminalised.