Kerala Love Jihad Case: I Have Divorced, Remarried, Says Hadiya After Father Files Habeas Corpus Plea

Hadiya, aka Akhila Ashokan, a Kerala woman who was at the center of arguably the most high-profile 'love jihad' case the country has seen so far has said that she has divorced her husband Shafin Jahan, and is now married to someone else.

Hadiya made the revelation while speaking to a local news channel in Kerala on Friday, a day after a Habeas Corpus petition was moved before the Kerala High Court seeking her whereabouts.

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Why Hadiya's father moved court

The plea was filed by her father, KM Ashokan, claiming that he was unable to contact or trace her whereabouts for the last month.

According to Ashokan, he has not been able to speak or meet his daughter, and her clinic has also been shut.

The petitioner expressed appreciation that his daughter was in the illegal custody of her estranged husband and family who were members of the banned Popular Front of India.

What Hadiya said

However, on Friday, 31-year-old Hadiya told local media that she was safe and sound and was living in Thiruvananthapuram.

Hadiya acknowledged that her marriage with Shafin Jahan had ended and that she was now married to someone else.

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According to Hadiya, her parents were aware of her divorce and remarriage.

"The Constitution has given the right for every person to enter into marriage and get out of the relationship. It is a common thing in society," she said.

How Hadiya's case ignited love jihad claims

Hadiya, a native of Vikom in Kerala's Kottayam was born into a Hindu family and was named Akhila by her parents.

She converted to Islam while studying at a Homeopathy Medical College in Tamil Nadu, allegedly under the influence of some Muslim classmates.

In 2016 Asokan had moved the Kerala High Court that his daughter was being illegally detained and converted to Islam at a religious center run by PFI.

However, Akhila, who by then had taken the name Hadiya told the court that she had converted to Islam on her free will and that she was married to Shafin Jahan.

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Her family had rejected the claims and alleged that she was married off to Shafin Jahan by PFI to legitimise the religious conversion.

What courts said

In 2017, the Kerala High Court in an unusual move annulled the marriage and ordered her to be placed in the protective custody of her parents or an institution.

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In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Kerala High Court order and said that the father can't dictate the personal life of his adult daughter.

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