Kerala HC Seeks Union Govt's View On Nimisha Fathima Repatriation Who Had Joined IS

The Kerala High Court has asked for the central government's response to a petition filed by Nimisha Fathima's mother on Monday.

Fathima, who belongs to Kerala, had left India in 2016 to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Her husband, who allegedly fought as part of the Islamic State, was allegedly killed during an attack in Afghanistan.

K Bindu, Nimisha Fathima's mother urged the High Court to issue directives to the Union Government for taking steps towards Fathima's repatriation who is currently in a prison in Afghanistan. She also has a child.

Fathima's mother alleged that the central government has taken no steps to bring back Fathima and her child from Afghanistan. As per a report, the central security establishment is against Fathima's repatriation and three other women, their children from Afghanistan. They all had left India in 2016 and 2017 to join the Islamic State.

Nimisha Fathima Case:

As per the reports, the petition filed by Nimisha Fathima's mother claims that Fathima has cut off all contacts with her mother in 2015. K Bindu later got to know that Fathima had converted to Islam and had gotten married. After filing a missing person's report, the police had found Nimisha Fathima staying with her husband.

Since Fathima was already above 18 years of age, the court ruled that she can stay with her husband. K. Bindu claimed that she learnt about her daughter leaving for Afghanistan in a news report of July 2016 which mentioned about 21 Indian citizens from Kerala joining ISIS.

The women from Kerala had reported reached Iran from where they were taken to Afghanistan. Their husbands were allegedly working as fighters at the ISIS bases in Afghanistan and all of them were allegedly killed during the US airstrikes at the bases. Four women including Nimisha Fathima had then surrendered to the Afghanistan authorities in 2019 and have been in prison since then.

feature Image credit: Keralakaumudi