Hadiya, the woman from Kerala who converted from Hinduism to Islam and married a Muslim man, on Tuesday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court seeking permission to live with her husband Shafin Jahan, Live Law reported.
In a Special Leave Petition, Hadiya said that she had embraced Islam after studying the religion and married Jahan out of her own free will. “I most humbly pray that my entire liberty may kindly be restored to me,” she added. Hadiya also asked the Supreme Court to appoint Jahan as her guardian.
Hadiya’s father Ashokan had approached the Kerala High Court claiming that Muslim organisations planned to make her join the Islamic State group, and that Jahan was involved in terror activities. The court annulled Hadiya’s marriage to Jahan in May 2017.
In January, the Supreme Court questioned the high court’s judgement and said that it cannot delve into the marital status of the woman as she was an adult. However, the court sent her back to study at a homeopathy college in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, the college’s dean said that he would allow Hadiya to meet only her parents. The top court also allowed the National Investigation Agency to inquire into Jahan’s alleged links to terror.
On Tuesday, Hadiya said in her affidavit that her father was under the influence of “certain sections of people” who were trying to use him. “Otherwise, I do not see how my father, who is an atheist, would object to me changing my religion or marrying someone from a different religion,” she said.
The News Minute had reported on Sunday that Hadiya’s father Ashokan had formed a collective to unite the parents of “love jihad” victims. “Love jihad” is a term Hindutva groups often use to accuse Muslim men of entrapping Hindu women on the pretext of love, to eventually convert them to Islam.
On Tuesday, Hadiya also asked the Supreme Court to order action against those who had subjected her to “horrendous torture and torment”. She alleged that the National Investigation Agency had behaved with her as if she were a criminal or a terrorist. Hadiya also denied any links with the Islamic State and allegations that she was mentally unsound.
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