“We have been fighting for long and will keep doing so,” said Anjali Gopalan, one of the petitioners after a five-judge bench threw out the appeals. “This is democracy but we are denying basic rights to our own citizens.” Bollywood filmmaker Onir labelled the verdict a “landmark failure”, but Canada-funded Humsafar Trust gay rights group said the ruling did have positive points for the community. “It would endorse the fact that we exist and that we can contribute something meaningful to the society,” said Gopalan of the order upholding rights of gay couples to “cohabit without threat of violence, coercion or interference.”