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Court ruling on extramarital, gay sex draws mixed reactions from netizens
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The Constitutional Court ruled to reject a petition to outlaw consensual sex outside of marriage and gay sex on Thursday. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
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Constitutional Court ruling that rejected a petition to outlaw extramarital and gay sex on Thursday has drawn mixed reactions from netizens.
Some applauded the decision, saying it upheld human rights and protected people’s private lives as well as minority groups.
Twitter user Gita Putri wrote on her Twitter account that Indonesian law should be influenced by a sense of justice, instead of religious sentiments.
The Masyarakat Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), one of the groups opposing the petition, said on Twitter that it hoped the court would "not bow to any pressures from various groups that often act in the name of religious morality."
Negative responses also mushroomed on the social networking site, with some arguing that extramarital and gay sex was immoral and forbidden by religion.
Filed by conservative academics, the petition not only brought to the courtroom an intense debate, but it also sharply divided the bench, with four out of nine justices, including Chief Justice Arief Hidayat, dissenting.
Meanwhile, justices Saldi Isra, Maria Farida Indrati and I Dewa Gede Palguna -- all of whom are considered progressive -- were among the five justices who rejected the petition.
Saldi appeared to play a key role in influencing the outcome of the case, which was started when former justice Patrialis Akbar, known for his conservative statements, was in office. Saldi joined the court in April, replacing Patrialis who was arrested for bribery in late January. (nmn/ipa)
