State Police Chief Loknath Behera has issued guidelines regarding cases pertaining to unnatural sex that have been registered.
The directive was issued in wake of the Supreme Court judgment that decriminalised consensual gay sex between two adults.
In view of the order, cases that have been registered under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code will be categorised as those registered suo moto and on the basis of complaints.
Complaints
Legal proceedings will continue in those cases that have been registered with complaints. Action-taken reports in these cases will have to be submitted at the respective courts.
In the suo moto cases, the station house officer will be required to ascertain if they involved consensual relationship. Reports should be submitted to the courts as part of concluding legal proceedings in such instances. However, in cases involving non-consensual sex, the complaints of the victims must be obtained while taking the investigation forward.