Debates are raging in Kerala’s legal and social circles over whether Shaffin Jahan, the Muslim youth who married Akhila alias Hadiya, the 25-year-old Hindu woman who converted to Islam, has the right to meet her at the college in Salem, Tamil Nadu where she has resumed her studies as per the direction given by the Supreme Court on Monday.
While Hadiya’s father KM Asokan and those who support him are arguing that it will be absolutely illegal if Shaffin, whom they consider as an Islamist and extremist, is allowed to meet her, the Muslim youth, his lawyers and several rights activists are of the opinion that the apex court’s Monday order does not in any way prevent him from meeting her, though their marriage was annulled by the Kerala High Court six months back.
However, Shaffin said on Thursday that he did not want to make any hasty efforts to meet her and would go about it only legally. “I will travel to Salem to meet her only on the basis of the legal opinion I get. I had tried to speak to the dean of the college over the phone on Wednesday, but I could not,” he said.
As per reports, Shaffin had talked over the phone on Wednesday to Hadiya, who resumed her studies at the Sivaraj Homeopathy Medical College and Research Centre in Salem a couple of days ago as per the permission granted by the Supreme Court on Monday. The college authorities had said the other day that anybody could meet her with their permission.
Hadia’s father is firm that Shaffin should not be allowed to meet his daughter at the college or anywhere and any such attempt would amount to contempt of court. Stating that Shaffin is an Islamist with extremist links, he said the other day that Hadiya was sent to the college to pursue her studies and she was not a ‘thing’ to be exhibited before anyone who wanted to see her.
Akhila/Hadiya had converted to Islam in 2015 when she was studying homeopathy medicine at the same college in Salem. She married Shaffin on December 19, 2016 but the High Court annulled the marriage on May 24 this year and handed over her custody to Asokan. She had been living at his house in Vaikom under round-the-clock police security since then to last Saturday.