NIA files third status report in SC in Kerala 'love jihad' case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday submitted a third status report on the Kerala 'love jihad' episode to the Supreme Court, where the case is scheduled for hearing on Monday.

The agency completed the detailed status report after a thorough examination of 11 cases of alleged 'love jihad' and handed it over to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope, an official said.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will on November 27 hear the plea by Asokan, the father of Hadiya, a 24-year-old Hindu woman from Kerala who converted to Islam and married a Muslim man Shafin Jahan.

In August, the Supreme Court directed the NIA to probe the matter after Hadiya's husband challenged the Kerala High Court order that nullified their marriage.

The NIA had earlier alleged in the court that there was a "well-oiled machinery working in Kerala" which indulged in indoctrination and radicalisation of women, and 89 such cases have been reported.

The agency had also alleged that the court could invoke parental authority even if Hadiya was a major as her case suggests she was radicalised.

The Supreme Court had on Wednesday turned down a plea for an urgent hearing on a plea filed by Hadiya's father.

He had urged the court for in-camera proceedings due to sensitive nature of the case. He said radical elements could jeopardise the safety and privacy of his daughter and the family.

His counsel had earlier claimed that Jahan was a radicalised man and had links with persons who used to recruit for Islamic State. This allegation was denied by Jahan's counsel.

Hadiya is in the custody of her parents following Kerala High Court order.

--IANS

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