(On Thursday, 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. In light of this, we are republishing this article from The Quint’s archives originally published on 13 July 2018, during the hearings which encapsulate the arguments by the petitioners, the government and the supporters of Section 377 – as well as the mood of the judges)
Thursday saw the best and worst of the hearings on the constitutionality of Section 377 of the IPC so far. The best included an insightful discussion between the judges and some of the lawyers on mental health and the adverse effects of criminalising same-sex acts on the LGBT+ community.
The worst came in the form of the ragtag band of lawyers that approached the court after lunch on behalf of various religious groups and individuals who support Section 377, raising absurd and prejudiced arguments including this shocker from advocate Rajesh Aggarwal: