NEW DELHI:

G E

informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Centre has fully accepted the Delhi high court verdict, which decriminalized consensual

between adults in private. The Centre clarified its stand on

, saying there is no error in decriminalization of gay sex.

The Supreme Court had sought assistance from the attorney general in view of contradictory stand taken before the Supreme Court and high court.

Vahanvati said though the government had opposed dilution of Section 377 as far as consensual gay sex in private was concerned, it later realised that the high court verdict was correct. The HC verdict decriminalizing homosexuality is acceptable to us, he stressed. We learnt and got subsequently enlightened after the verdict, he added.

Criminalizing gay sex among consenting adults in private is violation of fundamental rights, the attorney general added on the Centre's behalf.

He also said that the recent goof up in the apex court where Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra opposed gay sex was a result of lack of communication between the law officers and the Home Ministry.

The bench had yesterday pulled up the Centre for its "casual" approach on decriminalisation of homosexuality and also expressed concern over Parliament not discussing such important issues and blaming judiciary for "over-reach".

After going through various affidavits of the government filed in the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court, the apex court had said the Centre has taken this case very casually which needs to be "condemned" and had directed the AG to be present before it to clarify the Centre's stand.

"They have taken this case very casually. This practice needs to be condemned and we are going to say it in our judgment," the bench had observed.

The bench had said it is a peculiar case in which the government is taking a neutral stand before the apex court on such an important issue after contesting the matter in the high court.

The apex court was hearing petitions by anti-gay rights activists and also by political, social and religious organisations, opposing the high court verdict.

The Delhi high court had in 2009 decriminalised gay sex as provided in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.

Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC makes gay sex a criminal offence entailing punishment up to life term.