New Delhi: Police has arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly stabbing his 46-year-old gay partner in Pune over the excessive demand of sex. The incident took place on September 19 in Pune city of Maharashtra.
Senior Inspector of Khadak Police Station, said, “Rajesh Vartak, a 46-year-old man has filed a complaint in which he has alleged that his friend and sexual partner attacked him and attempted to murder him. Further investigation revealed that both of these adults are in a consensual gay relationship for as much as two years. The complainant is the dominant partner in the relationship and it has come to light that excessive demand for sex by the complainant led to the attack.” Police have registered a case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code against the accused.
The incident came days after the Supreme Court ruled out that homosexuality is not a crime in India anymore. In a landmark judgment on September 6, the Supreme Court struck down part of a 158-year-old colonial-era law which criminalised gay sex among consenting adults, observing that it violated the constitutional right to equality and dignity. The top court decriminalised part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex, saying it was irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.
The verdict came as a major victory for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community that has been fighting for 17 years to get consensual gay sex legalised. The historic ruling made India the 26th country in the world where homosexuality is legal.