Kerala Women's Commission Seeks Report on Hadiya’s Condition

The curious love jihad case of Hadiya and her husband in Kerala has worried many. Recently, the Kerala Women Commission has asked Kottayam Superintendent of Police to present a report on Hadiya’s present condition. The present request of the commission comes in the wake of reports that on Thursday, Hadiya appeared in a video, and claimed her father had beaten her brutally.  She indicated she could die any moment.

A Hindu woman named Akhila Asokan who apparently changed her religion, on her own will, after marrying a Muslim man, Shafin Jahan in 2016. The 24-year-old resident of Viakom, was put under house arrest after her parents got to know that she has married Jahan.

In May this year, her father filed a petition to annul the marriage in the Kerala HC. In the plea, he stated that the alleged Muslim organizations are planning to take Hadiya abroad and make her join ISIS.

The Kerala High Court also annulled Hadiya’s marriage without her consent. They also ordered to send her back to her parents, KM Asokan and Ponnamma. The case has now moved to the Supreme Court which had ordered NIA probe into it.

On September 16, Jahan filed a plea to the SC to shelve NIA probe. He said in the petition that they are not doing a “fair” job.

On October 10, The Kerala High Court stated that ‘all inter-religious marriages cannot be termed love jihad’. Just three days before this, the Kerala govt. told the SC that Hadiya’s case does not require probe by National Investigation Agency (NIA). They said that the Kerala govt. is well equipped to take on the case.

The SC in August also upheld that inter-religious and inter-faith marriages are legal in a free and democratic India.

“Inter-caste marriages are, in fact, in the national interest as they will result in destroying the caste system,” Supreme Court

“This is a free and democratic country. And once a person becomes a major he or she can marry whosoever he/she likes. If the parents of the boy or girl do not approve of such inter-caste or inter-religious marriage the maximum they can do is that they can cut off social relations with the son or the daughter,” court said, HT reported.

The govt. had earlier accepted the proposal of having NIA investigate the matter. Earlier in September, several people filed pleas against Hadiya’s imprisonment to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

ALSO READ: Interfaith Marriages Not Love Jihad: Kerala HC

Picture credit- The News Minute