The Kerala State Women’s Commission on Monday said it would only reveal to the Supreme Court (SC) whether Hadiya, a 26-year-old Hindu woman who converted to Islam and subsequently married a Muslim youth, faced severe human rights violations, including forcible detention, at her parent’s home.
The commission had opened an inquiry into the allegation that Ms. Hadiya’s parents flagrantly violated her fundamental rights after the High Court had placed her in their custody after annulling her marriage. The complainants, including 1,000 members of the Girls Islamic Organisation, alleged that none was allowed to meet her and that Ms. Hadiya was constantly under police watch. The apex court was seized of the matter in August when Ms. Hadiya’s husband approached it to revoke the lower court’s decision.
The apex court reserved its judgement and ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe whether the marriage was part of a “Love Jihad” conspiracy to convert women from other faith to Islam.
At a stroke, Ms. Hadiya's case became central to the public debate on whether “deceptive conversion” to Islam, or “Love Jihad”, was a social truth or a myth. The social media actively discussed the matter, often discordantly.
The Commission said it was unwilling to comment on the status of the sensitive inquiry or the nature of its findings. It would submit its deductions in the Supreme Court if ordered.
Ms. Hadiya was thrust into public focus last year when her father moved a habeas corpus petition in the HC stating that certain entities had forcibly converted his daughter to Islam with the intention of marrying her off to radical youth headed to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Ms. Hadiya deposed that she had converted on her volition. During the hearing, she married a Muslim from Kollam. The HC annulled the marriage and placed her in parent’s custody.
