The Supreme Court of India has today reserved its
verdict on an appeal of the Delhi High Court ruling which
decriminalised gay sex.
According to local news site The Hindu, a bench of
justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya have delayed their
verdict until a later date.
As reported here on DIVA, the month-long trial has seen India's
more socially conservative communities rally against the 2009
ruling, which was deemed a milestone for LGBT rights.
More than a dozen petitions were filed by anti-gay right
activists, social and religious organisations to overturn it.
As previously detailed, the Supreme Court hearing got off to a
shaky start.
Earlier this year, a representative for the Home Ministry said
that consensual same-sex relationships were unethical. But the
organisation later distanced themselves from the comments, claiming
the lawyer had read notes from the wrong file.
A second legal representative, Mohan Jain, said that both he and
the government supported the Supreme Court's ruling.
"It's a government of India decision that there is no legal error
in the judgment of the Delhi High Court," Mohan told the Supreme
Court.
In response, SC judges responded saying: "Don't make a mockery of
the system and don't waste the court's time."
India has a gay community which comprises of almost three
million people, according to official statistics presented by the
government.
