It’s a big day for the civil rights movement in India today. In a historic judgement declared by a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra on Thursday morning, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, that classifies homosexual acts as criminal, has been scrapped.

Calling Section 377 irrational and arbitrary, the judgement said: “Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of freedom of speech and expression,” said the judgement of CJI Misra and J Khanwilkar. “We have to vanquish prejudice, embrace inclusion, and ensure equal right. Sustenance of identity is the essence of existence.”

The Apex court also said: “Apology to their family members for ostracisation and persecution they faced because of society’s ignorance that homosexuality is a natural trait, its penal suppression infringes a host of fundamental rights.”

This is a day for all Indians to come together and rejoice. It’s also a day when we religious leaders from all side come together and spout inanities on homosexuality being illegal, unnatural and what not.

Shot five years back, this video gives us a glimpse of the long road we have traversed and finally emerged victorious at the other end of the tunnel.

Watch the video of “The Cleaners” wherein Abhinandan Sekhri anchors a debate between Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, Father Dominic Emmanuel, Patanjali’s Narayani Malik and Vasu Ritu Primlani, which deals with Section 377 and various viewpoints surrounding it.