On criminalisation and pathology: a commentary on the Supreme Court judgment on Section 377

Indian J Med Ethics. 2014 Jan-Mar;11(1):5-7. doi: 10.20529/IJME.2014.002.

Abstract

The judgment delivered last week by the Supreme Court of India, upholding the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), overturns a judgment by the Delhi High Court in 2009 that decriminalised sexual activity between two consenting adults. This judgment has unleashed a veritable firestorm of protest in the public space. There has been a heated and vitriolic debate on this issue in the print and social media, as well as television, with public opinion, in the main, being critical of the judgment.

Publication types

  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Crime / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Criminal Law / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Homosexuality*
  • Humans
  • India
  • Judgment
  • Public Opinion*
  • Sexual Behavior