Indian Activists to Challenge Anti-Gay Ruling
Daily
Times, September 5, 2004
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NEW DELHI: Gay activists in India
on Saturday vowed to challenge a High Court decision to dismiss a petition
seeking to legalise homosexuality.
The petition, filed in December 2001, sought to overturn
laws which make homosexuality between consenting adults punishable by up to 10
years in prison.
�After three years of going back and forth the High
Court has thrown out our petition on the flimsiest and most baffling
grounds,� Shaleen Rakesh from the Naz Foundation told AFP.
�But we are not prepared to sit back and accept what
the court is throwing at us. We are studying legal options in front of us and
will file a review petition in the High Court or take the matter to the
Supreme Court,� he said.
The Naz foundation challenged India�s anti-gay laws
after some of its members were harassed by police for handing out safe-sex
brochures.
The court on Thursday ruled that the �validity of a
law� cannot be challenged by anyone who is �not affected by it,� without
further explanation.
Government lawyers earlier told the court that the
abolition of the law �could result in delinquent behaviour� and the
erosion of �strong Indian family values.� afp
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