PM asks Patil, Ramadoss to resolve differences on gay sex

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) The tug-of-war between Home
Minister Shivraj Patil and Health Minister A Ramadoss over
legalising homosexuality Thursday reached the Union Cabinet
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking them to sit together
and sort out the issue.

"The Prime Minister has directed the two ministers to sit
together and discuss the matter and sort out differences,"
Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters
after the cabinet meeting.

He said the cabinet deferred a decision on the issue
which was being argued before the court.

The Delhi High Court is hearing a Public Interest
Litigation (P.I.L.) challenging the legality of Section 377 of
the Indian Penal Code (I.P.C.) which bans sexual relations
among the people of the same gender.

"Whatever the court decides, we will agree," Sibal said.

The court had Wednesday pulled up the Centre for relying
on religious texts to justify the prohibition on gay sex in
the country and asked it to come up with scientific reports to
justify it.

The issue has become controversial with Ramadoss saying
that he would take up the matter with the Prime Minister after
his ministry was ticked off by the Home Ministry before the
court.

The Home Ministry is opposing the Health Ministry's
suggestion for legalising homosexuality.

The Home Ministry has suggested not to decriminalise gay
sex on moral grounds while the Health Ministry has proposed to
abolish the penal provision which carries a punishment of upto
life imprisonment for such acts.

The Health Minister had sought legalisation of
homosexuality arguing that it can help in better treatment of
people suffering from H.I.V./A.I.D.S.

The National Aids Control Organisation, in its affidavit
filed on behalf of Union Health Ministry, had said that gay
sex among consenting adults should be decriminalised.