Archive for the ‘LGBT’ Category
Legacy of British Constitution in Independent India and Section 377
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, shaking hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, India.
The British gave Indians a lot of things. Out of all the legacies that the English left, the most cherished and loved is the language itself. English is not the language of the elite in India but the language that is understood by even the masses to some extent. A language that is understood and assumed to be the ticket to success and a great professional life. Thanks to the British, Indians also got the railways, iron and steel plants, press, abolition of crimes such as widow burning and child marriage. The British constitution during the early part of the 20th century is what makes up Indian constitution today. British laws are revered and honoured, venerated and admired for their clarity and reason.
However, the bubble soon bursts when you encounter the infamous Section 377. In 1860, the English criminalized homosexuality in India, in a country where homosexuality was frowned upon but not criminalized. ‘Sodomy’ was made punishable by 10 years in prison and hefty fines were collected from those who were suspected to be homosexuals. Indians were especially thankful for this law, as the Indian society has been traditionally conservative and abhorrent towards topics related to sex, be it heterosexuality or homosexuality. If the British had to say something is wrong, it just had to be so.
