Section 377: Unnatural offences

Now in the BNS

As given in the correspondence table of the National Crime Records Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs). Read both texts before relying on it. NCRB table

Leading cases

• Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018)Section 377 IPC, insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts between adults in private, violates Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 and is read down; Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation is overruled.
• Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation (2013)The Court set aside the Delhi High Court's declaration that Section 377 IPC was unconstitutional as applied to consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding the section free of constitutional infirmity and leaving change to Parliament.

Questions on this section

6 questions in 9 of our papers cite Section 377. Try these from the free papers:

1. 1. What was the Supreme Court's decision in the Navtej Singh Johar case about Section 377 of the IPC?

   A.Decriminalized consensual homosexual relationsB.Upheld the criminalization of homosexual relationsC.Partially decriminalized Section 377D.Ruling deferred to a later date
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2. 2. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018), which held Section 377 IPC unconstitutional in so far as it criminalised consensual sexual conduct between adults, expressly overruled:

   A.E.V. Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra PradeshB.Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz FoundationC.P. Rathinam v. Union of IndiaD.Sowmithri Vishnu v. Union of India
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