Religious leaders oppose Delhi HC verdict on Section 377

The religious heads of various communities came together on Saturday to oppose the recent judgement of the Delhi High Court decriminalising homosexuality and to urge the government to take a stand against it.

Representatives of Jamait Ulama-i-Karnataka, Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana math, Sri Guru Singh Sabha and a Jain association addressed a joint press conference here to unanimously state that homosexual relationships are “against the religious code and ethics of India”.

Soumyanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri math said that religious heads will bring pressure on the government not to amend laws following the judgement which read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Harminder Singh, general secretary of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, argued that homosexual relationships are “against religion, nature, Constitution and the Indian society”. He said that the Constitution has no provision under which same sex marriages can be solemnised. He added that the Sikh community would not accept a homosexual relationship even if it was legalised by the Supreme Court. Mufti Iftikar Ahmed, president of the Jamait, said that the judgement was an attack on the tehzeeb (culture) of Hindustan and showed the country in poor light. Uttam Chand Bhandari, representing the Jain community, said that the judgement was “a matter of great worry” and it would spoil traditional relationships.