The Delhi High Court is due to deliver its much-awaited verdict on a petition seeking decriminalization of homosexuality today. The petition was filed by Naz foundation along with an activist group Voices against the section 377.

Section 377 in the Indian Penal Code was created in 1861 by the British and outlaws what it calls any acts against the order of nature and the punishment for violating it, can be up to 10 years along with a fine.

And after hearing the petition for seven months, a division bench consisting of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar will announce whether section 377 IPC could be “read down” to decriminalize private consensual sex between adults of the same sex.

The UPA government is also in favor of scraping down the rule. The Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily initially said that the law was outdated.

Activists say that this law is a powerful weapon for police where they often used to harass the gay people.

When the question was raised to the home minister P. Chidambaram, he said all the views will be considered before the government takes any decision.

The gay community argues that it also forms the basis for the widespread stigma and discrimination against them.

A repeal of Section 377 will also mean changes in civil laws pertaining to inheritance, property and adoption.