No plan to scrap Section 377, was misquoted by media: Law Minister

Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday rejected reports of reconsideration on Section 377, saying that the government has no plan to scrap the law that criminalises homosexuality.

The Law Minister further said that there was a need of a broader debate on the issue to take "all views into account", adding that he was misquoted by the media.

"No such issue has come up before the Law Ministry and the government of India. Deliberations will begin only when issues come up. At present we are not even considering any deliberations," said Gowda.

The clarification from the law minister came after reports claimed that he had hinted at scrapping the controversial section of the Indian Penal Code. This was in context to the recent decision by US Supreme Court legalising gay marriage across the country.

Notably, the Supreme Court had in 2013 overturned a Delhi High Court order that had scrapped Section 377, sparking protests by the LGBT community.

Following the protests, the Supreme Court had put the onus on the government to take a decision on the issue, saying it could bring a legislation to scrap the section of the IPC.

The US Supreme Court had last week ruled that same-sex marriage was legal across the country.