New Delhi: A day before Hadiya, the woman at the center of the Love Jihad controversy, testifies before the Supreme Court, her father’s lawyer said that no relevance should be given to what she has to say.
A Reghunath, the counsel for Hadiya’s father Ashokan, told News18 that she is “highly indoctrinated and brainwashed” and needs to come out of the “mental kidnapping,” revealing what the father’s strategy would be in the court on Monday.
“She is a victim of forced conversion. Marriage was only a pretense to take her away from the law,” he added.
Hadiya, earlier known as Akhila, had in 2016 converted to Islam and married Shafin Jahan in December last year. The Kerala High Court earlier this year annulled their marriage, and gave Ashokan the custody of his daughter.
To support his theory of indoctrination, Reghunath said the Kerala HC had also interviewed her several times and came to the conclusion that she does not have a stable mind right now. “We are hoping the SC will also come to the same conclusion,” he said.
The father had asked for an in camera hearing in the Supreme Court but the apex court had turned down the plea. Reghunath said it was because they don’t want it to be made a media spectacle and drama. “It’s something personal to her, about her husband.”
But there seems to be little doubt as to what Hadiya would tell the court. While being taken to the Cochin airport for her onward journey to Delhi, she refuted allegations that she was forcefully converted and married Jahan under duress.
“Nobody forced me to embrace Islam. Sheffin Jahan is my husband and I want to live with him. I am a Muslim and I want justice,” she shouted to the mediapersons waiting at the airport. Her father had barred her from speaking to the media till now.
Hadiya's husband, Shafin Jahan, had on Friday complained that attempts were being made to reconvert her to Hinduism.
Hadiya has earlier too told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that she married Shafin Jahan of her own accord. However, the NIA, in its report to the Supreme Court, is likely to maintain that Islamic indoctrination leading to marriages is a pattern in Kerala.
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