Lauding the Supreme Court's verdict on decriminalising Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Thursday said the judgment was a step towards accepting the people as what they are and respecting their privacy.
"The turning point came on August 24, 2017 when the right to privacy became a part of the fundamental rights of Indian citizens. Thursday's judgment by the apex court against Section 377 is a step towards accepting the people for what they are," he said in a statement.
Rajeev was a petitioner in the case against the state-run 12-digit unique identification number Aadhaar and on which a nine-judge constitution bench of the top court unanimously ruled that privacy was a fundamental right, earlier this year.
"I am what I am. So, take me as I am. Congrats to all those who fought this battle," added Rajeev in the statement.
While several activists, politicians and public thinkers in the country celebrated the judgment by the apex court decriminalising homosexuality, the leaders of the ruling BJP party were largely silent. Almost no party leader reacted to the news of the judgment with the exception of Rajeev.
Rajeev was nominated as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha by BJP earlier this year. Prior to joining the party, he has been a Rajya Sabha MP twice before, first in 2006 and then in 2012 as an independent candidate. He got the support of the BJP and JD(S) on both occasions.
With IANS inputs