Oh, what a happy day to be back! The title of this piece, a quote from Goethe, is the opening line of the historic verdict delivered by the Indian Supreme Court today. A five-judge bench ruled unanimously that Section 377 of the IPC – that criminalizes homosexual acts – was unconstitutional. It violates the fundamental rights to equality (Article 14), non-discrimination (Article 15), and privacy (Article 21.) The anti-homosexual sex laws were imposed in India as part of laws against public vice and immorality instituted across the British empire. Section 377 was over 158 years old, a Victorian…