Actor Priyanka Chopra has applauded the Supreme Court for its historic decision to decriminalise the gay sex in India on Thursday.
Terming the verdict ‘supremely important judgement,’ the Quantico star wrote, “A supremely important judgement! “I am what I am so take me as I am,” says the Chief Justice of India as the Supreme Court decriminalises #Section377 in a unanimous vote from the bench. What a big win as a democracy and our fight for equal rights #ProudIndian #GoIndia.”
A supremely important judgement! “I am what I am so take me as I am,” says the Chief Justice of India as the Supreme Court decriminalises #Section377 in a unanimous vote from the bench. What a big win as a democracy and our fight for equal rights #ProudIndian #GoIndia pic.twitter.com/S6PZY5hVZF
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) September 6, 2018
Among other Bollywood stars, who had earlier hailed the verdict were filmmaker Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Deepika Padukone among others. Karan, in particular had said that the verdict will enable India to get its ‘oxygen back.’
Holding that the punishment under Section 377 had created a chilling effect, the five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday had said that it was the responsibility of the three organs of the State to curb any “propensity or proclivity of popular sentiment or majoritarianism” to invade the rights of LGBTQ community.
Speaking for himself and Justice AM Khanwilkar, Chief Justice Dipak Misra said, “The rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population, cannot be construed to be ‘so-called rights’ as the expression ‘so-called’ seems to suggest the exercise of liberty in the garb of a right which is illusory.”
Setting aside the top court’s 2013 judgment, the Chief Justice said, “Their (LGBTQ) rights are not at all ‘so-called’ but are real rights founded on sound constitutional doctrine.”
Justice J Chandrachud had said that ‘Human sexuality cannot be confined to a binary’ adding that it ‘has travelled so much that it has been destructive to LGBT identity.’
“Tragedy and anguish inflicted by Section 377 should be remedied. Macaulay’s legacy exists 68 years after the coming of a liberal Constitution. Human instinct to love has been constrained. Sexual orientation has become a reason for blackmail on the internet.” he was quoted by The Hindu.
Justice Indu Malhotra, the only woman judge in the bench, had said, “History owes an apology to those people persecuted by Section 377 for the social ostracism caused by the section.”