SC asks NIA to investigate ‘love jihad’ match
The Supreme Court on Friday was tasked with balancing requests made by a husband whose marriage was nullified by the Kerala High Court (KHC) against the backdrop of ‘love jihad’, and a father who opposed the union.
The bench comprising Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud issued a notice to Kerala, the father KM Ashokan and the National Investigative Agency (NIA) and asked them to respond by August 16, when the matter will be heard next.
The court also took an undertaking from the father that if the daughter’s presence was required in court, she would be produced within a period of 24 hours.
“Why does she have three names? Which 24-year-old has three names?” CJI Khehar inquired about the girl’s multiple identities.
“Prima facie, the Kerala High Court had interviewed her before deciding to annul the marriage and return the child to her father. In this interview, the High Court judgment records that her answers were incoherent. So prima facie, she seemed to have been in the control of someone else,” Justice Chandrachud observed.
Earlier this year, the Kerela HC nullified Shafin Jahan’s marriage with 24-year-old Hadiya aka Akhila condemning it as “love jihad”.
“A girl aged 24 years is weak …read more
