Madras High Court directs Dalit AIADMK MLA A Prabhu to produce Brahmin wife over marriage row

Four days after their wedding, the Madras High Court on Thursday directed AIADMK MLA A Prabhu to produce on Friday his newly wed wife S Soundarya before it, acting on a habeas corpus petition filed by her father alleging that his daughter was kidnapped.

A division bench of Justices M M Sundresh, and D Krishnakumar also asked the petitioner to appear before the court on Friday. Swaminathan, the girl’s father who works as a priest at a temple in Thiyagadurgam, 235 km from here in the newly formed Kallakurichi district, has alleged that Prabhu had married his daughter after kidnapping her.

The bench directed Prabhu to produce his wife before the court when the matter came up for hearing on Thursday. The MLA, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste, married S Soundarya in a simple ceremony in the presence of his family members on Monday amid drama as the girl’s father attempted to self-immolate outside the venue. The father also moved the High Court on the same day.

Read: AIADMK Dalit MLA marries Brahmin girl; father alleges daughter was kidnapped

Even as the father levelled allegations, Soundarya released a video message saying that her wedding with the MLA took place with her “consent” and that she was neither abducted nor threatened.

“MLA Prabhu and I have been in love for the past four to six months. Since my parents objected to my relationship with Prabhu, I stormed out of my house and have now married him. The marriage took place with my consent and not because of any threat. I was neither abducted nor threatened,” the 19-year-old said in her message.

A Prabhu, a first-time legislator, is 36 years old, while the girl is 19. Prabhu was close to Soundarya’s family for the past 10 years and had enjoyed a good rapport with them and that is how the couple came to know each other.

The MLA said though he had known Soundarya for the past 10 years, their relationship began only a few months ago. “The girl’s family did not accept our relationship, but the wedding took place with the consent of my family members. My wife is a major and she took the decision consciously. To say I abducted her is absurd,” the legislator said.