Reporting from New Delhi — The Delhi High Court issued a landmark ruling Thursday decriminalizing homosexuality, a move that could bring more freedom to millions of people in this deeply conservative nation.
The ruling said that treating relations between consenting adult homosexuals as a crime is a violation of basic human rights safeguarded under the Indian Constitution.
The court decision amending an 1860s-era British Empire statute ostensibly applies only to Delhi. But activists said that given the capital territory's leadership position, they expect the ruling to influence courts across the country.
"I think this is quite fantastic," said Anjali Gopalan, director of the Naz Foundation, an HIV/AIDS awareness group, one of the parties that submitted the lawsuit eight years ago. "It's a big step forward, although there are many more steps ahead."
The decision inspired celebratory rallies in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and other major Indian cities.
"This is going to impact the whole country," said A.J. Hariharan, founder of a gay rights group in Chennai, formerly Madras. "This will change the lives of millions of gays and lesbians in India."
About 200 gays gathered, cheered and hugged at Delhi's Jantar Mantar monument, a traditional gathering area for all sorts of protests. They were mobbed by nearly as many reporters.
"There's been a huge change in the past five years in India," said Andi, 37, a photo editor known professionally by a single name, who was out celebrating. "I'm now willing to say straight out that I'm queer. And more people are willing to accept it."
Religious groups condemned the decision, pledging to pressure the ministries and courts to reverse it. An appeal would send the issue to the Supreme Court.
"This is dangerous and harmful for Indian society," said Uzma Nahid, member of an Islamic law board, who promised to join Christian and Hindu groups in fighting the change. "Western countries allow these things and you see the effects -- people take drugs, parents don't care about their children. If the father doesn't concentrate on his wife, this could undermine the whole family."
For many homosexuals, the immediate effect on their personal lives will not be dramatic. There's still a strong social stigma here against gays and lesbians, with young people often pressured to marry early and produce grandchildren.
