'Happy to be free now,' says Hadiya on Supreme Court verdict

Kerala-based Hadiya, an alleged victim of love jihad, on Saturday expressed happiness at being 'free now', days after the Supreme Court set aside a Kerala High Court order annulling her marriage with a Muslim man.

"I am happy to be free now," she said after visiting Popular Front of India (PFI) chairman E Aboobacker along with her husband, Shafin Jahan.

Speaking to reporters here, Hadiya said her marriage became a topic of discussion only because it was accompanied by religious conversion. 

"What was wrong in converting to another religion", she asked.

They called on the PFI chairman to thank him for standing with them in fighting their case, Hadiya said.

"I approached many other Muslim organisations to help me with my desire to embrace Islam. It was only PFI which stood by my side and helped us fight the case legally in the apex court," she said.

Hadiya said she would like to express her gratitude to PFI for standing by her side when others refused to help.

Jahan, who was by her side, said they were going to meet his relatives soon. They would hold another press meet before Hadiya leaves for Coimbatore, he added.

The apex court had on March 8 set aside a Kerala High Court order annulling her marriage to Jahan.

Hadiya is pursuing her mandatory house surgeon internship at the Sivaraj Homeopathic Medical College and Research Institute in Tamil Nadu's Salem district for completing her Bachelor in Homoepathy Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) course.

The supreme court had in August last year asked the National Investigation Agency to probe the case of conversion and marriage of Hadiya, as the agency claimed a "pattern" was emerging in Kerala.

The matter came to the fore when Jahan had challenged a Kerala High Court order annulling his marriage with her and sending the woman to her parents' custody.

On November 27 last, the apex court had freed Hadiya from her parents' custody and sent her to college to pursue her studies, even as she had pleaded that she should be allowed to go with her husband.

The high court had in May last year annulled the marriage terming it as an instance of 'love jihad', following which Jahan had approached the apex court.