The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Our society will not accept this’

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Friday, Jul 03, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Our society will not accept this’

Special Correspondent

V.S. Acharya

Bangalore: Even as there was jubilation over the reading down of Article 377 of the IPC that decriminalises homosexuality, Home Minister of Karnataka V.S. Acharya has expressed his reservations over it.

“Our society will not accept it easily,” he said. Though the court says same-sex relationship between consenting adults is no longer a cognisable offence, Mr. Acharya felt that these are “matters that cannot be decided in court.” He added: “Nature does not agree with this.”

The police, in the meanwhile, were guarded in their response.

Three senior city police officials speaking to The Hindu said that they needed to see the Delhi High Court judgment before they could make any comments on it. “We have not received any official announcement from the Home Ministry on the reading down of the law,” they said.

Voices of dissent

Sri Rama Sena chief Pramod Mutalik expressed his strong reservation against the judgment, calling it “unnatural.” He said: “We are opposed to it because it is against our culture. This will lead to greater prevalence of HIV/AIDS.” He said that the Delhi unit of the Sene was planning a writ against the judgment. “We are also holding awareness camps in colleges,” he said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the judgment, Archbishop of Bangalore Bernard Moras in a press release said: “Basing itself on sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”

A media representative of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) The Hindu spoke to declined to comment on the judgment.

Activist Shubha Chacko said that resistance from religious heads was expected and that engaging with religion was part of the process.

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