Uttar Pradesh, followed by Kerala, topped the list of states where the maximum number of cases was registered for gay sex under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which was partly struck down by the Supreme Court earlier in September.

Altogether, 4,690 cases were registered between 2014 and 2016 under Section 377, which criminalised sexual activities "against the order of nature".

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), as many as 2,195 gay sex cases were registered under Section 377 in 2016, 1,347 in 2015 and 1,148 cases in 2014.

Uttar Pradesh topped the list in 2016, with 999 such cases, followed by Kerala 207.