Satisfied with the prosecution's report, indicating that Hadiya was not in illegal custody, the court decided to close the plea.
Published Dec 15, 2023 | 8:41 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 15, 2023 | 8:41 PM
Hadiya with parents at her Malappuram clinic two years ago.
The Kerala High Court closed the habeas corpus petition filed by Asokan, Hadiya’s father, on Friday, 15 December, after the prosecution informed the court that she is presently residing with her second husband.
Hadiya gained national attention in 2016 due to her conversion to Islam and marriage to a Muslim.
A Division Bench of the high court closed the petition upon learning that Hadiya’s first marriage had concluded, and she had entered into a second marriage and had been living with her second husband near Thiruvananthapuram.
Satisfied with the prosecution’s report, indicating that Hadiya was not in illegal custody, the court decided to close the habeas corpus plea.
The family of Hadiya, whose conversion to Islam and subsequent marriage to a man named Shafin Jahan resulted in controversy, had moved the Kerala High Court saying that they were unable to trace her for the past month.
Her father Asokan moved the high court, saying that he apprehends that his daughter has been taken into illegal custody by certain people including her husband, who are allegedly part of the banned Popular Front of India.
Asokan had told the high court that for the past month, Hadiya was untraceable to him and his wife.
He had claimed that whenever they called their daughter, either she was not receiving any calls or on many occasions, the mobile phone was switched off.
Asokan also claimed that they went to her recently opened homeo clinic at Malappuram but it was found closed and the neighbours didn’t have any idea about it.
Hadiya had converted to Islam during her medical studies in Coimbatore and married Jahan in 2016 when she was 25 years old.
Soon, Asokan filed a writ petition in the high court saying the conversion was forced and Jahan had links to extremist organisations like PFI. He had also argued that she would be trafficked to Syria to join the Islamic State.
The high court had then annulled the marriage, calling it a ‘sham’.
However, Jahan later approached the Supreme Court and in 2018, the apex court had set aside the high court order.
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