The Kerala Story, a film about three women who were trafficked to Syria after converting to Islam has refocussed attention on the Shafin Jahan versus Ashokan K M case. Akhila, who was later known as Hadiya, was allegedly brainwashed, converted to Islam, and married a Muslim. Her father, Ashokan, welcomed the film’s release, believing that such films can ‘raise awareness among girls and their parents about the misleading practises of conversion rackets,’ as per a report by the New Indian Express.
Hadiya presently works as a homoeopathic doctor in Kottakkal, Malappuram district, five years after a Supreme Court judgement restored her right to join Islam and marry Shafin Jahan, as per the report. She has sent divorce papers to Jahan, according to her father, Ashokan, but is still under the custody of Zainaba, a Popular Front of India (PFI) activist who acted as her guardian after she left home.
“Shafin left her immediately after the Supreme Court ruled in his favour. I have never met him since 2018. Whenever I visited her, she was surrounded by Zainaba and her people who never allowed me to talk to her in private. The last visit was after the raids on PFI leaders’ houses. Though she was alone, she was trembling with fear. I asked her the reason, but she didn’t reply. And, she refused to return home,” Ashokan told the publication.
Here is a timeline of the case:
On September 10, 2015, procedures for Akhila’s religious conversion begin, and an affidavit is signed by an advocate.
November 2015: Parents learn of their daughter’s religious conversion.
January 1, 2016: She changes her address and abandons her home to stay with a friend.
Her friend’s father Aboobacker gets detained on January 11, 2016, based on her father Asokhan’s accusation.
January 18, 2016: After Asokan files a Habeas Corpus petition, Hadiya appears before Kerala High Court.
Hadiya refuses to accompany her parents, and the court agrees to her plea to go to SatyaSarani in Malappuram for religious education on January 18, 2016.
Hadiya filed an affidavit stating that she converted to Islam of her own free will on August 26, 2016.
She married Kollam native Shafin Jahan on December 19, 2016.
She appears in HC alongside Jahan on December 21, 2016. HC rejects the marriage and places her in a hostel.
May 24, 2017: The High Court declares Hadiya’s marriage to Jahan null and void and places her in her parents’ protective care.
On July 5, 2017, Jahan filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against a Kerala High Court order.
The Supreme Court warrants an investigation into the conversion row on August 16, 2017.
October 3, 2017: The Supreme Court asks critical questions about the case, including how her father can exert authority over the 24-year-old.
October 30, 2017: The Supreme Court orders Hadiya’s father to appear in court on the next scheduled day.
November 21, 2017: Hadiya’s father files a new application before the Supreme Court, requesting that the hearing be audio and video recorded.
On November 23, 2017, the NIA submits a status report to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover in connection with the case.
November 27, 2017: The Supreme Court releases Hadiya from her parents’ custody and orders that she be allowed to finish her education at a Salem homoeopathy college.
March 8, 2018: The Supreme Court has overturned the Kerala High Court’s decision to annul Hadiya’s marriage to Shafin Jahan.
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