Verdict not final, will consider review petition, says Hadiya's father

K M Asokan, Hadiya's father, reiterated on Thursday that her marriage with Shefin Jahan was "bogus" and claimed that the Supreme Court has not discounted his allegations against Shefin.

He was responding to the apex court order which set aside an earlier high court judgement that annulled the marriage.

"This verdict is not final. The court has only quashed the  judgement  against the marriage. The investigation (by the National Investigation Agency regarding the motive behind the marriages) is still continuing," Asokan told reporters.

The Supreme Court held that the high court could not annul the marriage under article 226 of the Constitution of India and also based its contentions on Hadiya's statements in the court, recorded in November last year.

Asokan said he would also consider filing a review petition in connection with the apex court order.

"After I filed a habeus corpus petition, the high court ordered that she should live with her family. But she was presented in the court after her marriage. I have no doubts that it was bogus," Asokan said.

The Kerala High Court had on May 24, 2017, annulled the marriage of 25-year-old Hadiya (Akhila, before she converted to Islam) with Shefin.

The court called the marriage a "sham" and observed: "Her marriage being the most important decision in her life, can also be taken only with the active involvement of her parents".

Shefin approached the Supreme Court against the High Court order.