TIME Magazine on Wednesday released its 2019 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, which named many pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons. Some of the names in the list included Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj, US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan PM Imran Khan, golfer Tiger Woods and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The list also featured two of most powerful women in India. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy and advocate Arundhati Katju who led the battle in the Supreme Court to decriminalise homosexuality in India, have been mentioned in the list, and surprisingly, their profiles have been written by International star Priyanka Chopra.
Priyanka Chopra contributed to the Time Magazine piece on both the lawyers who led the battle to strike down Section 377 in a unanimous vote.
“Arundhati and Menaka have helped take a giant step for LGBTQ+ rights in the world’s largest democracy. In their committed fight for justice, they have shown us that we as a society must continue to make progress, even after laws are changed, and that we must make an effort to understand, accept and love,” Chopra said.
The Supreme Court of India ruled out Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code through a unanimous vote in September last year. The Section 377 legacy was put forth during the British colonization of India which rendered any sexual acitivity “against the order of nature” punishable by law.
Chopra said the “landmark judgment”, overturning a 157-year-old law, was the outcome of a long-term campaign orchestrated by two “amazing” public-interest litigators, Katju and Guruswamy.
This isn’t the first time Priyanka Chopra has written a profile for someone. The last time TIME gave her an opportunity to write about Princess Of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
Also read: Priyanka Chopra, Meghan Markle’s friendship hits a rough patch
