In a significant championing of gender justice and gay rights, the 16-month-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will favour decriminalisation of homosexuality in its much-awaited manifesto for the lok Sabha polls, party sources said. The manifesto will be released later this week. “The party supports the high court’s decision on consensual gay sex. We will be mentioning it in the manifesto,” a senior AAP leader who did not wish to be named told IANS.
According to the AAP leader the thinking in the party is that Section 377 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) should be amended as it has become anachronistic. “In our manifesto we will promise that the party favours amendments in the section so that homosexuals could live without fearing police action,” the leader said. Besides favouring consensual gay sex, the party will in the party’s manifesto talk in detail on gender justice and social justice.
The party also wants appointments of the chairmen of women’s commissions and members of the National Human Rights Commission to be transparent. The issue will also be detailed in the manifesto, the leader added. “The committee which is looking after the party’s manifesto has almost done the work. The party will launch its manifesto within a week. We are giving final touches to the manifesto,” the leader told IANS.