Indian court orders NIA probe into Hindu woman's conversion to Islam, marriage

She is still my wife, said Muslim husband who filed petition against decision taken by court

The Indian Supreme Court has directed the National Investigation Agency to investigate the ‘alleged’ forced conversion of a Hindu woman to Islam for marriage in Kerala, Hindustan Times reported.

India’s counter-terrorism organisation has recently stated that this does not seem to be an isolated case, but is part of a growing pattern of converting women from Hinduism to Islam. The NIA made its remarks during a hearing on a petition filed by Shafin Jahan, the Muslim man whose marriage with a Hindu woman was annulled earlier this year.



“A girl aged 24 years is weak and vulnerable, capable of being exploited in many ways. This court exercising parens patriae jurisdiction is concerned with the welfare of a girl of her age. The duty of this court to ensure the safety of at least the girls who are brought before it can be discharged only by ensuring that Akhila is in safe hands,” the verdict read. “It is clear that Akhila has no consistent stand or a clear idea about her life or future,” it added.

The Indian high court described the wedding with the words, “love jihad”, a term right-wing Indian groups use to allege a strategy for converting Hindu women through marriage, money or threat. The 24-year-old homeopathic doctor, Akhila Ashokan (Hadia Shefin) is now living with her parents. Her father, a retired military man, stated that there is a “well-oiled systematic mechanism” for such conversions. Hadiya, however, in her earlier court proceedings said that she had converted to Islam on her own.

“I am a 25-year-old Indian citizen. Why has the court put me under house arrest for the last five months? Why has the court denied me the right to live as per my faith and likes?’’ Hadiya asked in a letter released to the media in May.

Jahan is not allowed to meet Hadiya, and his multiple attempts have been rejected and downplayed by her parents. “By confining her within the house, her family is now attempting a forced conversion. That is why Hadiya is not allowed to speak. She is still my wife,” he said while speaking to The Indian Express.

In a surprising development, the top court stated that “such things can drive people to do anything” alluding to the recent wave of suicidal internet game, Blue Whale Challenge, when Jahan’s lawyer requested to interview the girl in court. “We want inputs from all sides before we take a final decision,” he said.



The court assured Jahan and her lawyer that it would allow them speak to the girl before passing a final order. The 27-year-old Jahan wants the high court order to be set aside, saying it was an insult to the independence of women in the country. The Supreme Court ordered Kerala police on August 11 to hand the case papers to the NIA.

“The entities also appear to be common [he said while referring to other cases of conversions]. The pattern appears that girls leave homes due to differences of opinion with family and somebody volunteers to give them shelter and this requires investigation,” additional solicitor general Singh informed the bench.

Akhila is said to have switched religion through the Therbiyatul Islam Sabha in Calicut. She was allegedly influenced by Sainaba, president of the women’s wing of Popular Front of India, which helped legalise her conversation. The agency said that Kerala police found that 510 people were converted through the Therbiyatul Islam Sabha.

The NIA has written to the state police chief seeking information about similar cases of forced conversion.