Everything happened as I became Muslim: Hadiya after SC retains marriage

Kozhikode: Two days after the Supreme Court scrapped the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya, the 24-year-old woman on Saturday said "all this happened because she embraced Islam", reported news agency IANS.

While restoring her marriage, the apex court said Hadiya was free to live with her husband Shafin Jahan and "pursue her endeavours", also mentioning that the Kerala High Court should not have intervened.

Hadiya, who is in Kerala with her husband Shafin Jahan, on Saturday reached the Popular Front of India (PFI) headquarters at Kozhikode and thanked its chairman, P Aboobacker for all the support during the couple's legal battle.

Read: Love, actually, says Supreme Court and restores Hadiya marriage

Addressing the media, Hadiya and Shafin said that they had approached several organisations for help, but it was the PFI which stood by their side.

"Some Islamic organisations criticised people who have helped us. All this fury is because I am a Muslim. After embracing Islam I approached a few Islamic organisations for their support. But no one helped me.", Hadiya was quoted as saying by India Today.

“The Constitution gives all the freedom to choose their religion, which is a fundamental right of every citizen and all this happened because I embraced Islam,” Hadiya said.

Also Read: Kerala 'love jihad': The curious case of Hadiya aka Akhila

“With the Supreme Court upholding our marriage, we feel we have got freedom,” she added.

Hadiya, who was born to a Hindu couple in Kerala, made headlines after she converted to Islam and married a Muslim man against the wishes of her parents.

The Kerala High Court in May 2017, annulled the marriage on a complaint by her father terming it as an instance of 'love jihad'. The high court, while declaring the marriage as "null and void", had described the case as an instance of 'love jihad' and ordered the state police to conduct probe into such cases.