Kerala 'love jihad': SC orders NIA probe into woman's conversion, marriage

The Supreme Court directed on Wednesday the National Investigation Agency to investigate the alleged forced conversion of a Hindu woman to Islam for marriage in Kerala.

The order came after the country's counter-terrorism organisation said it was not an isolated case but part of a growing pattern of converting women from Hinduism to Islam.

The NIA made its remarks during a hearing on a petition filed by Kerala-based Shafin Jahan, a Muslim man whose marriage last December with a Hindu woman was annulled by the Kerala high court.

The high court described the wedding as a case of "love jihad", a term right-wing groups use to allege an Islamist strategy of converting Hindu women through seduction, marriage, money or threat.

The 24-year-old homeopathic doctor, Akhila Ashokan aka



Hadia Shefin, was allegedly recruited by the Islamic State terrorist group and her husband was only a stooge.

Retired military man Ashokan KM, her father, alleged there was a "well-oiled systematic mechanism" for conversion and Islamic radicalisation. The woman now lives with her parents.

A top court bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar said retired judge RV Raveendran will monitor the NIA probe.

When Jahan's lawyer Kapil Sibal requested the top court to interview the girl, the chief justice alluded to the controversial internet game, Blue Whale Challenge, to make his point that "such things can drive people to do anything".

"We want inputs from all sides before we take a final decision," he said.

The court assured Sibal that it would speak to the girl before passing a final order.