No separate proposal to repeal or amend Section 377: Govt

The Union home ministry has no separate proposal to repeal or amend Section 377 which defines unnatural offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Replying to a question, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has begun registering cases under this section beginning this year. The maximum cases, at 140, under the said Section were registered in Delhi under which 110 people were arrested till September. These figures, the reply said, are provisional.

"The matter is sub-judice before the Honourable Supreme Court of India.

"The ministry of home affairs has no separate proposal to repeal or amend Section 377 of the IPC in this regard," Chaudhary said in reply to a query whether the government proposes to repeal or amend the said Section in light of the recent judgement delivered by the Supreme Court recognising the constitutional right of an individual to determine and identify one's gender and sexual orientation.

Under Section 377 this year, some prominent states which registered cases are: Uttar Pradesh registered a total of 127 cases with 36 arrests, Maharashtra registered 98 cases and arrested 100 while Haryana registered 99 cases and arrested 89 people. All the figures are provisional and do not represent the entire numbers for the year, the reply said.