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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will approach the Supreme Court on Wednesday to challenge the Delhi High Court judgment legalising gay sex among consenting adults. The petition is likely to be filed on Wednesday, lawyers associated with Ramdev said.
Ramdev, quoting Spanish psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, contended that homosexuality is a disease that is curable. "It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayam and other meditation techniques," he said in the petition.
The high court, in a landmark verdict, legalised gay sex among consenting adults, which was earlier an offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The verdict had retained the penal provision for non consenting gay and homosexual acts involving minors.
Ramdev, in his petition, contended that legislative mandate under section 377 of IPC did not infringe the right to privacy of persons indulging in homosexual activities, as held by the high court.
He maintained that Section 377 is not violative of the right to dignity of an individual and reduction in purview in the penal provision would aid in promoting homosexual activities which are primarily responsible for the spread of HIV.
Lawyers Suresh Sharma and Gandharva Makker said the petition challenging the high court verdict was to be filed on Tuesday but was delayed due to 'unavoidable circumstances'.
They said the yoga guru has challenged the July 2 judgment contending that homosexual activities are not only against public morality, public health and healthy environment but also against the interest of the society.
"The decision of the high court, if allowed to sustain, will have catastrophic effects on the moral fabric of society and will jeopardise the institution of marriage itself. This offends the structure of the Indian value system, Indian culture and traditions, as derived from religious scriptures," it said.