Kerala love jihad: Girl to appear in court

Satya Prakash

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 30

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the father of Akhila alias Hadiya, a 24-year-old Hindu woman from Kerala who converted to Islam, to present her in court on November 27 to ascertain her views on her marriage to a Muslim man, Shafin Jahan.

The marriage was annulled by the Kerala High Court and her custody was handed over to her parents, forcing Jahan to challenge it before the top court. He also wanted cancellation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into their marriage ordered by the top court in August.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said it would talk to her in open court to ascertain her views. It turned down a suggestion from senior counsel Shyam Divan, representing her father KM Ashokan, that her interaction with judges should be in-camera. The Bench asked her father to produce her before it at 3 pm on November 27. It asked Divan to ensure that she was produced for interaction to ascertain her mental state and if she had given free consent to the marriage.

Akhila had converted to Islam last year and married Jahan. The marriage was challenged in the High Court by her father, who alleged that Jahan had links with Popular Front of India and terror group IS.

On behalf of the NIA, Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh said there was well-oiled machinery working in Kerala for indoctrination of youth and radicalisation of society in the state where 89 such cases had been reported.

Divan told the Bench that Jahan was a radicalised man and several organisations such as PFI were involved in radicalisation of the society, an allegation countered by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Jahan.

The SC had on October 9 abruptly adjourned the case following heated exchange between lawyers.