The Supreme Court has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the case of Hadiya (born Akhila), a woman from Kerala, who converted to Islam.
The SC ordered the probe on Wednesday while hearing a special leave petition filed by her husband Shafin Jahan, after the Kerala High Court annulled their marriage earlier in May this year, calling it a "sham". The HC's move came after Hadiya's parents alleged that she was forcefully converted to Islam and that there were plans to recruit her to the extremist outfit ISIS.
Referring the case to NIA, the SC has appointed former SC Justice RV Raveendran to monitor the probe. The apex court has also decided to hear Hadiya's version in the case, say reports.
Live Law reports that the apex court decided to order an NIA probe after Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh pointed out that Hadiya's was not an isolated case.
The SC had on August 4, asked the Kerala government to submit all the documents related to the case, while observing that the findings of the Kerala High Court regarding Hadiya's conversion and subsequent marriage were serious.
It had later asked the Kerala police to share all the details of the case with the NIA after the apex court asked whether this was an isolated case. The SC said that a detailed investigation was imperative to bring out a larger picture.
The counsel for Kerala government reportedly submitted that it had no objections in the NIA probe. The central government had during the previous hearing of the case on August 10, sought NIA probe into the case.