27 November 2017•Update: 28 November 2017
By Shuriah Niazi
NEW DELHI, India
Hadiya, a Kerala-based Hindu girl who converted to Islam and later married a Muslim man, appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday in a case where her father alleges that she was forced to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man.
Hadiya was taken to court by her father, who alleged that the marriage was a form of recruitment by Daesh.
In May, the Kerala High Court annulled Hadiya's marriage and ordered her to return to live with her parents in the Kottayam district.
During Monday's court hearing which continued for more than two hours, 24-year-old Akhila Ashokan, who changed her name to Hadiya, told the judges that she wanted her "freedom". She also said that she wanted to live with her husband Shafin Jahan, reported New Delhi Television (NDTV).
Hadiya told the Supreme Court that she had faced mental harassment in the past 11 months under the custody of her parents.
Hadiya’s father KM Asokan argued in court that she "does not have an independent mind" and was brainwashed and heavily indoctrinated, which indicated that her testimony could not be relied upon, said News World channel.
The Court ordered that the college, where Hadiya used to study, re-admit her to complete her homoeopathic course which was stopped, and provide a hostel facility for her. The apex court also directed the Kerala police to provide adequate security to her.
After the court hearing, Hadiya's husband Shafin Jahan told Anadolu Agency that he was happy for her. "She has been freed from her parents," he said.
Jahan has appealed against the annulment of marriage as well as the sanction given in August by the Supreme Court to the National Investigating Agency to determine if his marriage is part of an emerging pattern which sees vulnerable Hindu women being lured by Muslim men who are agents of terrorist groups including Daesh.
The next hearing against Kerala High Court order annulling their marriage is fixed for January 2018.
