NEW DELHI — In a possible advance for gay rights in India, the Supreme Court ordered a review on Monday of Section 377, a colonial-era law reinstated in 2013 that criminalizes consensual sex between men.

Responding to a petition filed by members of the gay, bisexual and transgender community who said they felt persecuted for their sexual orientation, a three-person bench of judges referred Section 377 to a larger bench for reconsideration, noting that Indians who are gay “should never remain in a state of fear,” and that “societal morality also changes from age to age.”

“Law copes with life and accordingly change takes place,” the court said.

The decision to revisit Section 377 comes after a landmark decision last August, when the Supreme Court ruled that all Indian citizens have a constitutional right to privacy. In the judgment, the court wrote that “sexual orientation is an essential attribute to privacy.”

Gay rights activists said they were elated by Monday’s decision, if still cautious.

“It’s about time that Section 377 is thrown out,” said Harish Iyer, a well-known activist. “We are a small number and we need to keep shouting.”