Lalu against legalising gay sex

PATNA, July 4 (Agencies): RJD chief Lalu Prasad today denounced Delhi High court''s ruling decriminalising gay sex and said the Centre should appeal against the judgement in the Supreme Court.

"Gay sex should not be legalised at any cost and the Centre should appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court.

I am dead against legalisation of gay sex and will strongly raise the issue in Parliament.

Section 377 of the IPC should not be amended," Prasad said.

Asked whether homosexuality is still a crime, he said: "Yes, it is a crime.

Such obscene acts should not be allowed in our country.

The society is adversely affected." "Such things which affect the society should not be permitted at all.

Government has a greater responsibility towards the society," Prasad said.

"I don''t want to talk about such rubbish things.

These are obscene things which our country and culture do not permit," he said.

The Delhi High Court had on Thursday legalised gay sex among consenting adults holding that the law making it a criminal offence violated fundamental rights.

Women's commission seeks nationwide debate on legalising gay sex NEW DELHI, July 4 (Agencies): The National Commission for Women (NCW) Saturday called for a nationwide debate on the Delhi High Court's landmark ruling that decriminalised gay sex in the country.

'It is a very complex issue and needs to be studied in detail,' NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas told reporters here.

'Before taking any decision, we need to have a nationwide debate on this.

Even the government is in favour of a debate on this issue before taking any decision,' Vyas said.

'What effect will it have on society and families at large? All these aspects need to be looked at before a decision is taken on it,' she added.

In its 105-page judgement Thursday, the Delhi High Court ruled that gay sex among consenting adults was no crime.

The court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a relic of the British Raj, which criminalises gay sex terming it an 'unnatural offence'.

The government is treading cautiously on the matter.

On Friday, three cabinet ministers - Home Minister P.

Chidambaram, Law Minister M.

Veerappa Moily and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad - held a meeting to discuss the issue.

Moily later told reporters that they would submit a report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who would take a final decision on whether to amend the archaic law dealing with the issue.