India Government Asks Court to Review Anti-Gay Law India's government asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review a decision in which it upheld a colonial-era law that bans homosexual acts and makes them punishable by up to a decade in prison. Law Minister Kapil Sibal said he hoped the court would overturn the law. "Let's hope the right to personal choices is preserved," he said. The court is expected to take up the review petition soon. The Supreme Court ruled last week that only lawmakers and not the courts can change the law. The ruling struck down a 2009 lower court decision that said the law violated fundamental human rights. The Supreme Court ruling dealt a blow to gay activists who have fought for the chance to live openly in India's deeply conservative society. Gautam Bhan, a gay activist, welcomed the government move Friday and said the Supreme Court was the forum that should decide the issue. According to international human rights groups, more than 70 countries have laws criminalizing homosexual conduct, with India by far the most populous.