The Supreme Court today directed NIA probe under the supervision of a retired judge into a case pertaining to a Hindu woman’s conversion and marriage with a Muslim man in Kerala.
Retired Supreme Court judge R.V. Raveendran will supervise the probe in the case of Akhila Ashokan alias Hadiya.
A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar directed the probe agency to furnish the report to it after completing the investigation.
The apex court bench, also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud, said it will take a view after considering the NIA's probe report, inputs from the Kerala Police and after talking to the woman.
On May 24, the Kerala High Court, describing the case as an instance of 'love jihad', had annulled the marriage of Akhila, a 24-year-old medical student, with Shafin Jahan. Akhila had converted to Islam before the marriage and assumed a new name—Hadiya.
The HC had also ordered that Akhila be sent back to her parents saying that the marriage was also a way to get her out of the country. Jahan is suspected to be associated with persons having extremist links. It was alleged that the woman was recruited by Islamic State's mission in Syria and Jahan was only a stooge.
The judgment drew flak from certain Muslim organizations in the state.
Later, shafin Jahan moved the apex court saying that the HC verdict was an insult to independence of women.
Earlier, the SC had asked the Kerala Police to render all assistance to the NIA. The apex court had sought a response of the NIA and the Kerala government on the plea of Jahan.
The top court had said that it was entrusting the task to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a neutral agency to get a "whole picture" and ascertain whether the particular instance was limited to a "small pocket" or was there "something wider" to the issue.
Ashokan K M, the father of the woman, had alleged that there was a "well-oiled systematic mechanism" for conversion and Islamic radicalisation.
The NIA has recently conducted probe into some cases of 'love jihad' in which women were allegedly being sent to Syria to join the ISIS.
