A special Supreme Court bench is hearing petitions filed by 12 individuals that seek the scrapping of Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality. Even as the hearing continues, personal stories of battle, heartbreak and empathy are emerging to add to the dialogue around the draconian law.
Take Danish Sheikh, an Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Centre for Health, Law Ethics and Technology at the Jindal Global Law School. Sheikh, who is attending the hearings, took a moment to share a very personal and moving story on social media. In a Facebook post, the queer rights lawyer talks about how his parents reacted by taking him to a psychiatrist when he came out to them six years ago. But now, his parents have achieved more understanding and empathy.
“Things can change,” he writes.
Check out his post here:
In a marked departure from the 2012 Suresh Kumar Koushal hearings, which reinstated the law, this time the judiciary too has been displaying a marked empathy with the petitioners. And India is waiting on the wings of hope.
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