Love jihad? Supreme Court orders NIA probe into Hadiya case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered an NIA probe into the sensational Hadiya case, widely described as an instance of 'love jihad'.

Justice RV Ravindran, a retired judge of the apex court, will supervise the investigation. The bench said it would decide the issue after getting inputs from all, including the NIA and the Kerala government among others.

Ordering the NIA probe, a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said the court "shall require the presence of the girl" before taking a final call. Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, Shafeen Jahan, had told the court should decide the issue after speaking to the girl.

Also read: Hadiya case: Supreme Court notice to NIA, Kerala and woman's father

The court order came as the bench was told that the NIA has in its preliminary probe found that there was a pattern as "entities" in two cases that have come to light were the same. Senior counsel Indira Jaising told the bench that it was an inter-religious matter and the court must be careful.

Hadiya, a Hindu girl, had converted to Islam and married her lover Shafin Jahan in 2016. It was alleged that the woman was recruited by Islamic State's mission in Syria and Jahan was only a stooge.

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The Kerala High Court annulled the marriage in May, treating the it as a case of 'love jihad'. Petitioner Shafin then moved the top court challenging the High Court's decision.