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Hadiya case: Women's Commission to approach SC

Last Updated 25 September 2017, 03:59 IST
The Kerala Women’s Commission (KWC) is set to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to probe alleged human rights violations in the Hadiya case.

Hadiya (Akhila, before she converted to Islam), a 24-year-old homoeopathy graduate, is living with her parents in Vaikom, in Kottayam district, after the Kerala High Court annulled her marriage with Shefin Jahan.

A group of social activists and academics had sought KWC’s intervention in what is alleged as Hadiya’s illegal confinement. The commission also received memorandums from other groups requesting action. KWC Chairperson M C Josephine said the commission would seek the apex court permission to visit Hadiya and her family and submit a report on the alleged violations.

Josephine had on Saturday consulted the Advocate-General and the commission’s standing council regarding the move.

The case attracted national attention after Hadiya’s father, K M Ashokan, claimed that she was converted to Islam and forced into the marriage with Shefin. Later, a Supreme Court order led to an investigation by the National Investigation Agency into possible links to ‘love jihad’, an expression right-wing groups use to define alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam.

On August 30, police in Vaikom detained a group of women who staged a protest seeking the release of Hadiya from her “house arrest”. One of the women, in a Facebook video, said Ashokan denied them permission to meet her. The women claimed they saw Hadiya calling out for help from a window and saying she was being beaten up. The protesters were charged with trespassing.

Activist Rahul Easwar had earlier visited Hadiya at her home and released a video of the visit on social media. In the video, Hadiya is seen as interrupting Rahul’s conversation with her mother Ponnamma saying, “Keeping me here like this... is that enough? I want to ask if this is going to be my life.”


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(Published 24 September 2017, 19:42 IST)

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