SC to resume hearing on Section 377 on July 17

The Supreme court will resume hearing on the petitions filed against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises homosexual activities, on July 17.

Lawyer Ashok Desai appearing for one of the petitioners told the five-judge constitution bench of the apex court that the LGBTQ's existence is part of the culture and many countries have been accepted homosexuality.

On Wednesday, the Centre told the apex court that it would leave it to the wisdom of its judges to decide the constitutional validity of Section 377.

The notion was put forth by Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the Centre before the five-judge constitution bench of the top court, as it hearing of pleas on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code gets underway.

Earlier in 2009, the Delhi High Court had decriminalised Section 377, but the order was later set aside by a Supreme-Court bench.

Section 377 deals with "unnatural offences," and holds "whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.