New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) Saturday called for a nationwide debate on the Delhi High Court’s landmark ruling that decriminalised gay sex in the country.
“It is a very complex issue and needs to be studied in detail,” NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas told reporters here.

“Before taking any decision, we need to have a nationwide debate on this. Even the government is in favour of a debate on this issue before taking any decision,” Vyas said.

“What effect will it have on society and families at large? All these aspects need to be looked at before a decision is taken on it,” she added.

In its 105-page judgement Thursday, the Delhi High Court ruled that gay sex among consenting adults was no crime.

The court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a relic of the British Raj, which criminalises gay sex terming it an “unnatural offence”.

The government is treading cautiously on the matter. On Friday, three cabinet ministers - Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad - held a meeting to discuss the issue.

Moily later told reporters that they would submit a report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who would take a final decision on whether to amend the archaic law dealing with the issue.