Meet the inter-faith couple who have become a legal precedent for others in their position. Ironically they come from Meerut
Meet the inter-faith couple who have become a legal precedent for others in their position. Ironically they come from Meerut

Meet the inter-faith couple who have become a legal precedent for others in their position. Ironically they come from Meerut

The News Minute | October 11, 2014 | 12.02 pm IST

Sachin and Khadija’s story of love has become a hope for many others who find themselves falling in love with people who do not belong to their community. 

Ironically, they come from Meerut, where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and others have been talking about “love jihad”, alleging that Muslim men were trapping Hindu women and forcing them to change their faith to Islam.

According to an Indian Express report, Cachin and Khadija fell in love with each other when they were in school and thought nothing of getting married to each other. Khadija adopted a Hindu name. Khadija’s parents however, had other ideas and filed a case of kidnapping against Sachin.

The Allahabad High Court ruled in the couple’s favour and recongised their marriage but asked Sachin to deposit Rs 2.5 lakh as surety in a bank account for her, and also asked her to record a statement under the Indian Penal Code stating that her marriage was voluntary.

Sachin and Khadija approached the Supreme Court, which said on August 2, 2013, in Sachin and another vs State of UP, that SAchin and Khadija were legally adults when they got married and should be allowed to live “peacefully” like any other couple, without the necessity of a surety or statement.

The couple now has a three month old son, and live in Punjab, away from the circumstances of their marriage. Their case is now cited by nearly every couple who face similar problems in the state.

For more on social relations in Meerut in the context of inter-faith love and the “love jihad” campaign by the VHP, the case of alleged forced conversion of a Hindu woman recently, read The Indian Express report.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com