A mockery of an issue

Baseless Claims

The court decree, which legalised homosexuality two years ago, was hailed by many as a step in the right direction — a positive move after decades of discrimination.

This is probably one of the reasons why the recent remarks made by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P P Malhotra in the Supreme Court came as such a surprise.

Malhotra read out a scathing diatribe in which he termed homosexuality to be ‘immoral’ and ‘against Indian cultures’, also linking it to the proliferation of sexually-transmitted diseases.

The Home Ministry has since distanced itself from these statements — later claiming that the ASG had read out the wrong report by mistake — but Malhotra’s statements are harder to forget than they were to stomach. 

Considering that the motion to legalise homosexuality was passed two years ago, one wonders how it could have been brought up once more in such a shabby manner — that too in the apex court.

In fact, the entire episode was so bizarre that Sneha, a professional, believes it may have simply been a stunt of some kind.

“It sounds almost like a publicity stunt. If someone can make claims without checking any documentation or doing their homework, it could easily be just for the attention,” she says.

Although she personally believes that one should fight for the cause they value, she doesn’t think this logic applies in such circumstances.

“Here, the situation concerns someone else — in other words, responsible adults who know what they are doing. Others shouldn’t interfere or question them in this manner,” she insists.

Sneha isn’t the only one who believes Malhotra’s statements would have been best left unsaid. Sheela Naveen, an HR manager, points out that the ASG was simply wasting the court’s time.

“The whole affair was completely unrequired. The decision was taken two years back, and the people responsible for it would have obviously thought through the matter. This is simply a waste of time,” she says.

She also believes that to an extent, it’s an indicator of the disregard that most public officials have for their posts.

“It just goes to show how undedicated they are. If someone is going to make such statements in public, they should dig out records and get their facts straight first,” she explains. 

The apex court may have dismissed Malhotra’s remarks and advised the government not to make a mockery of the issue, but there have been complaints from certain quarters; the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights has violently opposed the legalisation of homosexuality on the grounds that it leaves room for same sex child abuse.

While this is true, Anjan Kumar, an investment banker, feels that the focus should be on the abuse — not on the homosexuality.

 “Homosexual abuse has been happening all along, but was only recognised when the court legalised homosexuality. However, I don’t think it’s fair to ban homosexuality altogether on this ground — after all, it was legalised after a lot of argument and deliberation,” he maintains.

 He believes that the government should target the issue of abuse — whether homosexual or not — instead. “The authorities should look at how they can control abuse, and take action in that direction instead,” he concludes.