India's top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex on Thursday in a landmark judgment that sparked celebrations across the country where gay sex had been punishable by prison for up to 10 years.
Gay sex is considered taboo by many in socially conservative India, and it was reinstated as a criminal offense in 2013 after four years of decriminalization.
A five-judge bench in India's Supreme Court was unanimous in overturning the ban.
"Any consensual sexual relationship between two consenting adults - homosexuals, heterosexuals or lesbians - cannot be said to be unconstitutional," said the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, as he read out the judgment.
Supporters of the campaign to scrap the ban milled around the Supreme Court before the verdict and cheered the decision, hugging one another and waving rainbow flags.
Some were overcome with emotion, while others waved banners with slogans such as "Gay and Proud" and "I am who I am". A few distributed sweets in celebration.
"I'm so excited, I have no words," said Debottam Saha, one of the petitioners in the case.
Activists hope the scrapping of the ban will uphold the right to equality but many acknowledged that discrimination would persist.
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