Rahul Gandhi refuses to back SC ruling on Section 377

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, today, in a short statement made it clear that he was not in favour of the Supreme Court verdict appeal that effectively criminalised homosexuality. His statement comes after an earlier statement by Sonia Gandhi that she wasn’t in favour of the SC verdict. “These are matters of personal freedom, I would agree with the High Court more on this matter,” Rahul said. (The High Court set aside section 377 on the basis that it violated the constitutional right to equality) [caption id=“attachment_1284187” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rahul Gandhi. AFP[/caption] “This country is known for its freedom of expression. It should be left to individuals,” Rahul added. Earlier in the day, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has issued a statement on the Supreme Court verdict that struck down the Delhi High Court’s verdict decriminalising Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. “I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has reversed a previous Delhi High Court ruling on the issue of gay rights,” she said. “I hope that Parliament will address this issue and uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India, including those directly affected by this judgement”. Meanwhile, the government today said it is considering all options to decriminalise homosexuality and filing a curative petition in the apex court could be one of them. “The Government is considering all options to restore the (Delhi) High Court verdict on (Section) 377 (of IPC). We must decriminalise adult consensual relationships,” Law Minister Kapil Sibal said. With agency inputs