The Supreme Court of Nepal, in a remarkable ruling, has upheld the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to access full citizenship rights and not be criminalized. This is in stark contrast to the Delhi High Court which had dismissed a challenge by the Naz Foundation on standing issues. The judgment was reversed by the Supreme Court and the case is now pending with the Delhi High Court again. All the relevant legal material on this case can be found here.

This is not the first time the Nepali Court has been progressive. About five years ago, the Supreme Court declared that marital rape is included in the definition of rape. A previous post on this blog dealt with the issue of marital rape in India.