Want to be with husband, says Hadiya as she travels to Delhi

Hadiya, a 24-year-old Hindu woman from Kerala who converted to Islam, on Saturday told newspersons in Kochi airport that she wants to live with her Muslim husband. Hadiya left for Delhi to be present before the Supreme Court on Monday in a case of alleged forced conversion.

As she was brought to Kochi airport amidst tight security, Hadiya loudly told the waiting mediapersons that she wants to go with her husband, Shafin Jahan.

Hadiya was accompanied by three women police officials and two male policemen besides her parents.

On Saturday afternoon, she was moved from her home near here at Vaikom in a convoy of police vehicles to Kochi International Airport to take the evening flight to Delhi.

In Delhi she will be put up at the Kerala House, where four rooms have been booked for the party from Kerala.

The apex court on October 30 had directed Hadiya's father, Asokan to present her in the court on November 27 to ascertain her views on her marriage to Shafin Jahan.

On Wednesday, the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said that the application for in-camera hearing of the proceedings when Hadiya appears before the court on November 27 would be taken up on that day itself after a lawyer mentioned Asokan's application for an early hearing.

The court in the last hearing had said that before examining the latter issue, it would like to ascertain if Hadiya had voluntarily converted to Islam and her views on her marriage.

The court is hearing a plea by Shafin Jahan challenging the Kerala High Court order of May nullifying his marriage with Hadiya and seeking recall of its order asking the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the conversion of Hadiya to Islam and her marriage.

The NIA in its earlier report has pointed to a "pattern" involving conversion to Islam and marriages in Kerala. On November 18, an NIA team arrived at her home for the second time and took statements from her and her parents to present their case before the court.

--IANS

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