Two of the world's leading human rights watchdogs have demanded India scraps its 'archaic and discriminatory' laws against gay sex today (12 February).

Amnesty International and Humans Rights Watch today urged the Indian government to repeal laws including section 377 of the penal code which criminalizes same-sex relations.

Indian president Pranab Mukherjee signed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2013 on 3 February, reforming many of India's old colonial-era laws on sexual violence, but did not repeal section 377.

Hundreds took to the streets of Delhi yesterday (25 November) to celebrate the Indian capital's fifth annual gay pride.

The city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community dressed in colorful  costumes and unfurled a giant rainbow flag as they made their way from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in Delhi for extorting thousands of Rupees from men after having sex with them to keep their sexuality a secret.

Rahul David’s blackmail came to an end when he asked a company director who had already given him 35,000 Rupees ($625, €516) for more money to keep quiet about their sexual encounter.

The director reported David to the police.

Under interrogation David told police that regularly visited parks in south Delhi looking for men to have sex with and visited their homes to blackmail them afterwards.

A new report into the rights and HIV vulnerability of transgender people has found that in some areas of Asia 49% of trans women are HIV positive. The report blames the alarmingly high prevalence rates on ‘stigma and prejudice’.

The Indian government insists that it supports the high court’s decision to decriminalize gay sex.

The announcement by Attorney General G E Vahanvati, follows confusion over the government’s stance on the issue, which is currently being debated again in Delhi supreme court.

Criminalizing gay sex among consenting adults in private is a violation of fundamental rights, Vahanvati said, reported The Times of India.

Religious groups in India have told the Supreme Court in Delhi that gay sex would lead to a 'horrendous' situation.

Section 377, an old colonial law which outlawed same-sex relationships and made them punishable by a 10-year jail term, was overturned in 2009.

However, the debate returned to the court earlier this month and today was the turn of religious groups to put forward their argument for reinstating the 148-year-old law.

A report from a top law school in India has found there's been greater societal acceptance and a decrease of police harassment of LGBT people since the decriminalisation of gay sex in 2009.