Naz foundation withdraws curative petition against Section 377

Naz Foundation on Monday withdrew a curative petition against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) keeping in view of the last year Supreme Court's (SC) judgement in which it decriminalised homosexuality.

The NGO, that work on HIV/AIDS and sexual health issues, filed the curative petition after the apex court in 2013 overturned the 2009 verdict of Delhi High Court that decriminalised homosexuality.

While reconsidering its 2013 verdict, the SC's five-judge Constitution bench, headed by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra on September 6 last year, in its landmark verdict had said, any consensual sexual relationship between two consenting adults, homosexuals, heterosexuals or lesbians cannot be a criminal offence.

The Delhi High Court, in 2009, decriminalised homosexuality. But in 2013, the Supreme Court restored the colonial-era law. Three years later, the top court agreed to hear the Section 377 petition once more.

In 2001, Naz Foundation filed the first petition in the Delhi High Court against Section 377.