A court in India has dismissed criminal proceedings against a married couple charged with obscenity for allegedly kissing in public in the capital. The Delhi high court judge wondered how an "expression of love by a young married couple" could attract an obscenity charge. Police arrested the couple - a 28-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman - for kissing near a station last September. Public displays of affection are still largely taboo in India. The police in Delhi had begun criminal proceedings against the couple for "sitting in an objectionable position near a metro (railway station) pillar and kissing due to which passersby were feeling bad". The maximum punishment for committing an "obscene act" is three months in prison.
Kissing in public in India has triggered controversies in the past. In 2007, Hollywood actor Richard Gere sparked protests in India after kissing Celebrity Big Brother winner and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty at an Aids awareness rally in Delhi. The protesters said Gere had insulted Indian culture by kissing the hand and face of the actress. In 2005, a court in Rajasthan imposed a fine of $22 on an Israeli couple for kissing after getting married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Pushkar. Priests were offended when the couple kissed and hugged during the chanting of religious verses.
(source: BBC news)
Affectie tonen in het openbaar is dus nog steeds een groot taboe in Indië. Je zal geen enkel koppel hand in hand over straat zien lopen. Maar mannen die handjes vast houden en elkaar op de meest 'liefdevolle' manier aanraken, zie je wel overal....en zeggen dat homoseksualiteit verboden is in Indië.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten