Two “INDIAN WOMEN LAWYER” in TIME 100 most influential people list

Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju who lead the battle against the archaic Section 377 of the IPC which criminalizes homosexuality , on behalf of the Petitioners along with other senior lawyers, in Navtej Singh Johar and others v. Union of India have been given a spot in the most influential people list released by The Time Magazine.

Arundhati Katju is the niece of former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju and  Menaka Guruswamy is the daughter of Mohan Guruswamy, a well-known political-thinker and adviser to former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Priyanka Chopra wrote a profile for Katju and Guruswamy in TIME magazine.

“Armed with a well-planned strategy that went beyond their well-researched legal arguments, Arundhati and Menaka became beacons of hope for the Indian LGBTQ+ community. Their perseverance and commitment led an entire community to a historic win by humanizing their struggles and giving them the freedom to love.”
 

-Priyanka Chopra

To read complete profile click here

In September 2018, the constitutional bench comprising of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra  partly struck down Section 377 in a unanimous decision. 

In the 495 page Judgment the Apex Court held that the  consensual sexual acts of adults (i.e. persons above the age of 18 years who are competent to
consent, which should be free, voluntary and devoid of any duress or coercion) in private is not an offence. However the  provisions of Section 377 will continue to govern non-consensual sexual acts against adults, all acts of carnal inter-couse against minors, and acts of bestiality.

Check out the complete list here