In a press conference held in Kozhikode, Hadiya, whose marriage to Shafin Jahan drew the nation’s attention, said that she had demanded the state government compensate her for nullifying her marriage and for keeping her under house arrest for six months.
“Two of my freedoms were curtailed – my right to live with a religion I believed in and to be with my husband,” she told the media.
She also rejected news reports claiming that she demanded compensation from her parents.
“There were some reports in the media that I demanded compensation from my parents. That is absolutely wrong. I sought compensation from the state government,” she said.
She added that she lost two years of her life, fighting to stay married to Shafin, and the six months she was forced to spend with her parents were miserable.
“My legal struggle lasted roughly for two years and the six months I spent with my parents were horrible. I was literally under house arrest. I lost two precious years of my life. I don’t think my parents would want to harm me, but they were under the influence of some anti-national forces,” Hadiya said.
She added that she would like to meet her parents, but will give them some time to come to terms with reality.
“It is mandatory in the religion I believe in to give respect to parents. I have not spoken to them after the Supreme Court verdict because I want to give them some time to accept reality,” she said.
Hadiya will resume her education in Salem March 13 onwards.
Hadiya, on March 10, had held a brief press meet after she and her husband met the chief of Popular Front of India (PFI) to thank him for the legal assistance they provided the couple with regard to Hadiya’s conversion to Islam.