December 20, 2013 - 1:28 AM
NEW DELHI - India's government has asked the Supreme Court to review a decision in which it upheld a colonial-era law that bans homosexual acts and makes them punishable by up to a decade in prison.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal says the review petition was filed with the court on Friday. The court is expected to take up the petition soon.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that only lawmakers and not the courts can change the law. The ruling struck down a 2009 lower court decision that said the law violated fundamental human rights.
The Supreme Court ruling dealt a blow to gay activists who have fought for the chance to live openly in India's deeply conservative society.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013