India Decriminalises Homosexuality — Section 377 Struck Down
The Supreme Court of India unanimously struck down the colonial-era Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which had criminalised 'carnal intercourse against the order of nature' since 1861. In Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, the five-judge bench declared the law unconstitutional, ruling that it violated the fundamental rights to equality, privacy, and dignity. The original law had been imposed during British colonial rule.
Impact & Significance
Decriminalised homosexuality for approximately 1.4 billion people — the single largest expansion of LGBTQ+ rights in history — and symbolically dismantled one of the most influential colonial sodomy laws.
Reference Record
- Date
- 6 September 2018
- Era
- 2010-2019
- Sources
- 1
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