GAY AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS IN INDIA: NAZ FOUNDATION v.

GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI

*
Anjaneya Das

INTRODUCTION
As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their
own search for greater freedom.
-Justice Kennedy while delivering his judgment in Lawrence v. Texas

Laws enforcing sexual morality may cause misery of a special degree.

-H.L.A. Hart in Law, Liberty and Morality

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a figment of colonial creation, has criminalised
unnatural sexual acts since its application as law in 1862. Homosexuality falls within such
acts and may attract punitive measures.1 In the previous century, legislatures and judiciaries
across the globe have upheld laws criminalising homosexuality and transgender behaviour,
justifying them on grounds of public decency and morality. With the advent of the
contemporary epoch, the movement against the repressive and oppressive nature of Section
377 grew exponentially and reached its culmination in Naz Foundation v. Government of
NCT of Delhi2, wherein the Delhi High Court recognized the anachronism associated with
Section 377 and interpreted it to exclude sexual acts between consenting adults, thus
decriminalising homosexuality. Although the ramifications are limited and may be quelled by
an act of Parliament, the judgment is a landmark in civil liberties litigation and may be
regarded as one of the stepping stones to the emancipation of the sexual minorities in India
from tyranny and coercion at the hands of the law.
This paper is an attempt to extricate the significance and far-reaching effects of this judgment
in the face of systemic abuse of homosexuals and transgenders, by enforcers of the law under
the facade of upholding Section 377, prior to this judgment. Further, the constitutional

*
IInd Year Student at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
1
3 R. A. NELSON, INDIAN PENAL CODE 3738 (S. K. SARVARIA ED., 9TH ED. 2003).
2
WP(C) No.7455/2001, DELHI HIGH COURT; Decision on 2nd July, 2009.

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1701077

aspects of the judgment shall be discussed and its application to the rest of India, in light of
the Supreme Courts decision in Kusum Ingots v. Union of India3, shall be examined.

VIOLENCE AND APATHY TOWARDS SEXUAL MINORITIES BY THE LAW

ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
Section 377 has been extensively used by the law enforcers to harass and exploit
homosexuals and transgender persons. Various such incidents have come to light in the recent
past. In Jayalakshmi v. State of Tamil Nadu4, Pandian, a transgender, was arrested by the
police on charges of theft. He was sexually abused in the police station which ultimately led
him to immolate himself in the premises of the police station. Similarly, policemen arrested
Narayana, a transgender, in Bangalore on suspicion of theft without informing him of the
grounds of arrest or extending any opportunity to him to defend himself. His diary was
confiscated by the police and he was threatened with dire consequences if he did not assist in
indentifying other transgenders he was acquainted with.5 Homosexuals have also been at the
aggrieved end of financial extortion by the police in exchange for not revealing their
identities to society.6 A peculiar use of Section 377 was seen in Lucknow when workers of
Bharosa, a NGO aimed at spreading awareness about AIDS, were arrested for distribution of
pamphlets providing tips on safe sex to homosexuals.7
The same agencies of the law have been apathetic towards these sexual minorities in the
realm of their health and safety. When a medical team inspected Tihar Jail, reported a high
incidence of sodomy in the prison and recommended provision of condoms to inmates to
prevent a proliferation of diseases, the Inspector-General of Prisons chose to deny any such
providence, thinking it to be a latent confession of rampant homosexual behaviour in the
prison.8 As a consequence of the inactivity of the prison staff, the AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi
Andolan filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the official position and the
constitutionality of Section 377.9 Similarly, the Indian Council for Medical Research
(ICMR) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) have not prescribed any guidelines for Sex

3
AIR 2004 SC 2321: (2004) 6 SCC 254
4
(2007) 4 MLJ 849
5
Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Report on Rampant violation of rights of Sexual Minorities, p.14
(2000).
6
Ibid.
7
Arvind Narrain, The Articulation of Rights around Sexuality and Health: Subaltern Queer Cultures in India in
the Era of Hindutva, in HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS 153 (2004).
8
Siddharth Narrain, The Queer Case of Section 377 (http://www.sarai.net/publications/readers/05-bare-
acts/06_siddharth.pdf; last accessed on 13th August, 2009).
9
RUTH VANITA, QUEERING INDIA 15 (2002).

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1701077

Reassignment Surgery (SRS). This reticence on the part of the medical sphere has led many
transgenders to approach quacks, putting themselves at grave risk.10
From the numerous instances of abuse and violence against homosexuals and transgenders, it
is evident that Section 377 has been grossly misused. It is equally obvious that a judicial
move to address this concern was exigent in the face of a law enforcement framework so
hostile that exploitation at the hands of the alleged protectors became a quotidian affair for
sexual minorities in India.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

The Naz Foundation is a non-governmental organisation working on HIV/AIDS and sexual
education and health since 1994.11 In 2001, the organisation filed a writ petition in the Delhi
High Court, challenging the constitutional validity of Section 377, claiming that the
impugned law was in violation of Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21. A bench comprising Chief
Justice B.C. Patel and Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed dismissed the petition in 2004,
subsequent to which the petitioners approached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court
directed the High Court to examine the matter, deeming it worthy of consideration.
Consequently, the Delhi High Court considered the petition.

JUDGMENT OF THE HIGH COURT

The judgment of the Delhi High Court is a prolific discourse in as much as it addressed
various concerns associated with the existence of Section 377. The Court evaluated the
constitutional validity of the impugned law, examining its compatibility with Articles 14, 15,
19 and 21. Having held that sexual preferences fall within the right to dignity and privacy of
the individual, the court held that Section 377 constituted a direct infringement of the
aforementioned right and as a consequence, violates the substance of Article 21. To answer
the question of violation of Article 14, the court applied the tests laid down by the Supreme
Court since the decision in State of West Bengal v. Anwar Ali Sarkar12. The court adjudged
that the impugned law begot an arbitrary differentia and there was no reasonable nexus
between preventing child sexual abuse or ameliorating public health, and the criminalisation
of consensual sexual relations between adults. The court then went on to interpret the term
sex in Article 15 to not only denote gender, but to have a wider periphery inclusive of

10
Siddharth Narrain, Being a Eunuch in India (http://www.countercurrents.org/gen-narrain141003.htm; last
accessed on 13th August, 2009).
11
http://www.nazindia.org/about.htm (last accessed on 13th August, 2009).
12
AIR 1952 SC 75: [1952] SCR 284

3
sexual orientation. Moving on this perception, the court ruled that Section 377 is prima
facie discriminatory towards the sexual minorities and is therefore, in violation of Article 15
as well. With the impugned law contravening Article 21 and Article 14, the court found it
superfluous to entertain the question of violation of Article 19. The court, in a gesture of
finality, applied the doctrine of severability in order to read down the impugned law only to
the extent of decriminalising consensual sex between adults.
The instant reaction to the judgment was of extreme elation from the sexual minorities across
the nation while religious leaders condemned it with equal passion.13 The judgment, if
viewed inclusive of its social impact, is not merely a pronouncement of a court in dry legal
jargon but represents the path to liberation of the sexual minorities, a collective long
condemned and discriminated against. It is further significant due to its inclusion of sexual
rights of the individual in the precinct of fundamental rights enshrined in Part III of the
constitution.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE JUDGMENT FOR THE SEXUAL MINORITIES

The judgment is a cause of great jubilation for the hitherto oppressed sexual minorities. It
forms a source of deliverance on two different planes: it decriminalises sexual relations
between homosexuals and simultaneously serves as a source of protection from maltreatment
and vilification at the hands of the upholders of the law. It also ensures protection of the
sexual minorities from various medical afflictions by bringing their condition in the
conscience of the authorities. As Justice Michael Kirby observed, the primary cause of high
incidences of HIV/AIDS among homosexuals was due to the apathetic approach of the state
towards the welfare of sexual minorities.14
In decriminalising consensual sex between homosexuals and transgenders, the judgment also
addresses the proximate concern of health. As observed by the PUCL and eminent gay-rights
activists15, one of the barriers in tackling the proliferation of sexually-transmitted diseases in
homosexuals was the criminalisation of homosexual activity which made any progression
towards sexual education of the sexual minorities a latent violation of the law. With
criminalisation a thing of the past, it may now be possible to combat the exponentially
growing threat of HIV/AIDS with efficacious prevention measures and adequate information
about sexual practices.

13
Nirnimesh Kumar, Delhi High Court Strikes Down Section 377 of the IPC, THE HINDU, 2nd July 2009, New
Delhi.
14
Michael Kirby, AIDS and Human Rights, 1 AUSTL. GAY & LESBIAN LJ 3 (1992).
15
Supra, n.5, p.32.

4
The other element of the courts decision, which truly upholds the substance of civil liberties,
is the elimination of scope for abuse at the hands of the authorities. Prior to the decision, the
sexual minorities had a long history of oppression at the hands of the authorities. Sexual
abuse and financial extortion was the plight of homosexuals and transgenders on a frequent
basis. The inhumanity associated with such acts was further accentuated by the fact that the
alleged guardians were the true perpetrators of violence and abuse. Section 377, after the
ruling of the court, can no longer be an implement of abuse at the disposal of the law
enforcement agencies. Thus, it may be asserted that the judgment has liberated the sexual
minorities of India at various levels.

CONSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS INVOLVED THE JUDGMENT

Beyond the circumspections of its social implications, the constitutional aspects of the
judgment form substantial material for deliberation too. The court found the impugned law to
be in violation of various fundamental rights listed in Part III of the constitution. The
significant developments evolve through the judgment are the extension of equal protection
of laws to the sexual minorities, recognizing the discrimination meted towards them to be in
contravention of the right against discrimination and the inclusion of sexual preferences in
the ambit of the right to life and personal liberty. Each of these shall be examined
individually by the author.

SECTION 377 AND THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY

Article 14 operates with a dual approach: it guarantees equality before law and equal
protection of laws. The Right to equality lacks an absolutist nature in as much as it permits
for classification between individuals,16 which consequently relaxes the equal protection of
laws to all. In the instant case, the point for scrutiny before the Court was whether a
classification between heterosexuals and homosexuals was permissible. As observed by the
Court, a classification shall be deemed reasonable if it stands a two-fold test: it should base
itself on a reasonable differentia and should have a direct nexus with the object sought to be
achieved through such classification.17 Any element of arbitrariness shall be antithetic to the
purpose of Article 14.18

16
State of Bombay v. F.N. Balsara AIR 1951 SC 318
17
State of West Bengal v. Anwar Ali Sarkar, Supra, n.12.
18
E.P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu (1974) 4 SCC 3

5
In the instant case, the Delhi High Court ruled that Section 377 reflected class legislation, in
disfavour of the LGBT community, and therefore failed the test of Article 14. In the recent
case of Lawrence v. Texas,19 the Supreme Court of the United States, overruling its previous
judgment in Bowers v. Hardick20, followed a similar stream of reasoning to conclude that
Texas anti-sodomy law solely targeted the homosexual community, and thus violated the
substantive due process right to equality, flowing from the Fourteenth Amendment.
It is submitted that this reasoning employed by the Court is sound in law. The distinction
between homosexuals and heterosexuals rests on a veneer of personal liberty, forming no
reasonable differentia to cause legislation. Sexual preference is as personal to an individual as
his/her sense of liberty in practising religion and choice of food. Therefore, a legislation that
differentiates between individuals on the basis of their preference of sexual conduct,
permeates class legislation aimed at marginalising the society, to the disfavour of the
homosexual community.21 As observed in Shelley v. Kraemer22, Equal protection of the
laws is not achieved through indiscriminate imposition of inequalities.23
The spirit pervading Article 14 is that of substantive equality and not formal equality. Article
14 strives to protect and preserve the rights of the weaker sections of society through its
provision for reasonable classification. Section 377s criminalisation of homosexuality
created an environment of authoritarian hostility towards the LGBT community, rather than
fostering an extraordinary sense of care for them. Thus, Section 377s classification, which
the defendants sought to justify on grounds of Article 14s implicit provision for
classification, contravened the fundamental premise of Article 14 and was liable to be
quashed for the same.

SECTION 377 AND THE RIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION

Article 15 guarantees the right against discrimination on various grounds, including sex.
The question for deliberation in Court was whether sex was inclusive of sexual
orientation. The Court answered the question in the affirmative, referring to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its interpretation in the case of Toonen v.
Australia24.

19
559 US 538 (2003)
20
478 US 186 (1986)
21
A similar observation was made by the US Supreme Court in Romer v. Evans 517 US 620 (1996).
22
334 US 1 (1948)
23
Ibid, at p.22.
24
No.488/1992 CCPR/C/ 50/D/488/1992, March 31, 1994.

6
Keeping in view the application of the doctrine of strict scrutiny in the cases of Anuj Garg v.
Union of India25 and Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India26, the Court declared that an
action that aimed to protect vulnerable groups in society was exempt from strict judicial
scrutiny but a legislation that targeted vulnerable sections was to be strictly scrutinized at the
altar of Article 15.
In Corbiere v. Canada27, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the virulence that was
implicit in discrimination towards the sexual minorities at the hands of the law. Such
discrimination was never based on any form of intelligible differentia, but on the personal
sexual preferences of people. As a result, the discrimination meted out to the sexual
minorities constituted a grave deprivation of the right to dignity of the individual.28
To read sex as inclusive of sexual orientation is a transcendental step in terms of the
judicial approach towards sexual minorities. The sexual minorities have always determined
the existence of a gap between sex and gender. While sex is the identification of oneself
through ones physical attributes, gender is a far more personal identification of the self
through ones mental looking glass. Transgenders have faced the wrath of the authorities the
most, owing to the lack of appreciation of the sex-gender dichotomy by the authorities. Thus,
the ruling of the High Court lays down the path of emancipation of the transgenders through
its recognition of the dichotomy surrounding their lives. Further, a recognition of this
dichotomy reveals a shirking of anachronisms associated with judicial thought which by itself
begets a hitherto unknown approach of empathy and care towards the sexual minorities.

SECTION 377 AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE, PERSONAL LIBERTY AND DIGNITY
The most interesting aspect of the judgment is the weighing by the Court of the impugned
statute against Article 21. The challenge on the grounds of violation of Article 21 was that a
law that aimed to criminalise homosexual conduct was directly infringing the fundamental
right to life and personal liberty, a right whose ambit of protection is limitless and all
pervading.29 The Delhi High Court acquiesced with the petitioners and ruled that the
impugned law was in violation of Article 21.

25
(2008) 3 SCC 1
26
(2008) 6 SCC 1
27
[1999] 2 SCR 203 (Canada)
28
Harksen v. Lane 1998 (1) SA 300 (CC)
29
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248

7
The debate entered into by the Delhi High Court was part of a much larger constitutional
debate, a manifestation of which may be witnessed in the writings of Lord Devlin and H.L.A.
Hart.
Lord Devlin opined, There is disintegration when no common morality is observed and
history shows that the loosening of moral bonds is often the first stage of disintegration, so
that society is justified in taking the same steps to preserve its moral code as it does to
preserve its government. The suppression of vice is as much the law's business as the
suppression of subversive activities.30
H.L.A. Hart was of the opinion that morality was a virtue left to ones own interpretation and
analysis, and a pervasive action of the state constituted a grave infringement of the
individuals right to liberty and dignity. The debate on state morality versus individual rights
still rages on, and a figment of it was witnessed in the instant case.
The judgment of the Court on Section 377s constitutional validity with respect to Article 21
is sound in law. Article 21, being of very wide circumspections, imbibes the right to dignity
and the right to privacy.
Dignity of the individual is one of the foundations of the constitutional framework in India,
and it finds mention in the Preamble. The premise of human dignity is paramount in a
constitutional democracy that envisages the welfare of the masses.31 As the US Supreme
Court observed in Lawrence v. Texas32, the choice of sexual orientation is part of the
intimate and personal choices and falls under the zone of privacy because it is a choice
central to personal dignity and autonomy as well as central to the liberty protected by the
Fourteenth Amendment of the American constitution.33
Thus, it is evident that constitutional governance in any nation envisages human dignity to be
of supreme importance. Dignity does not only include the basic necessities of food, clothing
and shelter, but permeates the human conscience beyond the veil of physical manifestations
of dignity. Dignity includes the individuals right to choose his identity in sexual interaction,
and this right should be viewed akin to the manner in which we view the other rights
guaranteed by Part III of the constitution.
Similarly, privacy is one of the paramount conditions implicit in the right to life and personal
liberty. From the celebrated American case of Roe v. Wade34 to landmark Indian judgments

30
PATRICK ARTHUR DEVLIN, THE ENFORCEMENT OF MORALS 15 (1965).
31
Prem Shankar Shukla v. Delhi Administration (1980) 3 SCC 526, at p.529.
32
Lawrence v. Texas, Supra, n.19.
33
Rachel Sweeney, Homosexuals and the Right to Privacy, 34 CUMB L REV 171.
34
410 US 113 (1973)

8
like Kharak Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh35 and Govind v. State of Madhya Pradesh36, the
right to privacy of the individual has been recognized as an element of utmost significance in
a constitutional democracy. Privacy of the individual cannot be pervaded by the state to the
point where the infringement of the state causes the abridgment of the individuals right to
personal choices. The collective morality of the state should not be enforced on the individual
in a manner that strips him of his basic rights, but should be enforced in a balanced
approach.37 As the Constitutional Court of South Africa observed in National Coalition of
Gay and Lesbian Equality v. Minister of Justice38, If, in expressing one's sexuality, one acts
consensually and without harming the other, invasion of that precinct will be a breach of
privacy.39
Thus, criminalisation of homosexual acts constituted a colossal impediment to the evolution
of the absolute right of the sexual minorities to their dignity and privacy. These rights are not
only constitutionally guaranteed but are also implicit in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and should therefore, enjoy a superior position to other rights. The judgment of the
Delhi High Court is a landmark step in establishing the superiority of the individuals right to
privacy and dignity over the collective morality of society. To that effect, we may assert that
the propositions laid down by H.L.A. Hart have entered into the Indian judicial conscience,
while the propositions of Lord Devlin have been quelled as they reflect thought dowsed in
archaic social thought.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE JUDGMENT IN LIGHT OF KUSUM INGOTS V. UNION

OF INDIA
The Supreme Court ruled in Kusum Ingots v. Union of India40,
An order passed on writ petition questioning the constitutionality of a Parliamentary Act
whether interim or final keeping in view the provisions contained in Clause (2) of Article 226
of the Constitution of India, will have effect throughout the territory of India subject of course
to the applicability of the Act.
Thus, it is evident that in light of the aforementioned judgment, the reverberations of the
judgment of the Delhi High Court in Naz Foundation v. Government of NCT of Delhi are not
limited only to the citizenry of Delhi but are applicable to the sexual minorities of the entire
35
[1964] 1 SCR 332
36
(1975) 2 SCC 148
37
HLA HART, LAW, LIBERTY AND MORALITY 15 (1963).
38
(CCT11/98) [1998] ZACC 15: 1999 (1) SA 6
39
Ibid.
40
Kusum Ingots v. Union of India, Supra n.3.

9
nation. This only heightens the significance of the judgment. Also, as there exists no
contradictory precedent to overrule, or even distinguish the Delhi High Court judgment, the
judgment stands as authority and effectively decriminalises homosexual conduct across the
nation.

CONCLUSION
The judgment of the Delhi High Court reflects a sense of conscience and empathy towards
the sexual minorities, emotions that were hitherto unknown. Section 377, in its
criminalisation of homosexual activity, was a repressive measure on the fundamental rights
of the LGBT community. The repression of anti-homosexuality laws has been recognized by
various legal systems in the world. From Lawrence v. Texas41 in the United States to Minister
of Home Affairs v. Fourie42 in South Africa, the judicial framework of the common law
system has recognized the rights of homosexuals to their freedom of sexual preference.
On a more abstract level, the judgment attempts to answer the question of collective societal
morality against the individuals liberty. The Court has prioritized individual liberty over the
idea of collective social morality and thus, has laid the path for an individualistic approach in
judicial decisions.
In so far as its implications are concerned, the judgment may be overridden by a legislative
measure, but it shall stand as one of the cornerstone judgments in the history of individual
rights and constitutional governance in India.

41
Lawrence v. Texas, Supra n.19.
42
(CCT25/03) [2003] ZACC 11: 2003 (5) SA 301 (CC); This case legalised same-sex marriages in South
Africa.

10