The writer was part of the legal team representing petitioners in the Navtej Singh Johar case

By Arundhati KatjuThe Supreme Court's judgment in Navtej Singh Johar and Others v Union of India has been widely heralded for ushering in a new era for LGBT rights . But Johar also marks a turning point for the court's role on the world stage. With US Supreme Court turning more conservative, the world is looking for a new leader amongst liberal courts. Indian Supreme Court can fill that vacuum.The SC rightly gives most weight to its own judgments when deciding cases. But it also looks outwards to understand new developments in constitutional rights jurisprudence. Some of the reticence about engaging comparative law comes from our colonial history. For post-colonial countries, engaging foreign case law is a double-edged sword, evoking memories of the Privy Council setting down law for the colonies. But this shared colonial history makes the Indian Supreme Court's jurisprudence relevant as many former colonies continue to struggle with colonial laws.As a result, constitutional courts all over the world engage the Indian Supreme Court's judgments. Rather than seeing comparative constitutional law as Western courts imposing their values on the global south, constitutional law is better understood as a transnational conversation between constitutional courts.Indian SC judgments have been cited in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Canada. The right to privacy judgment has quickly become lex classicus, and has been cited in Trinidad and Tobago and Kenya. This position of global relevance has been cemented by Johar. The judgment will be relevant immediately in Kenya. Singapore, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will soon challenge their sodomy laws.In comparison, the US Supreme Court has usually refused to engage comparative law. It is swinging decidedly to the right. Given the emergence of majoritarian forces in US, UK and Europe, the biggest reason for the Indian Supreme Court's global relevance is the anti-majoritarian role it has adopted. Constitutional courts will be looking for a new leader amongst liberal courts. The time is ripe for the Indian Supreme Court to take up this role.