Happy That NIA is Being Allowed to Continue Investigation: Hadiya's Father

New Delhi: Minutes after the Supreme Court upheld his daughter Hadiya’s marriage to Shafin Jahan, Ashokan said that the court has not explored all angles in investigating the case. The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya in the Kerala 'love jihad' case.

The SC said that Hadiya can't be in anyone's custody and she is free to follow her pursuits. “She can complete studies, live with whosoever she wants. Nothing remained for the court to decide after she expressed her will,” an apex court bench said on Thursday. The court further added that she can't be compelled to go or live with anyone.

Speaking to News18 after the verdict, Ashokan said that he was happy with the judgment on letting the NIA probe continue but still believes that the court has not taken into account all aspects of the case.

“The marriage was a concern for me and I still think that the court has not fully looked into all the aspects. But see, the court has upheld the NIA investigation which is a good thing,” he said, without elaborating on what aspects he was hinting at.

While he said that a review petition was something that still needs to be discussed, sources close to him said Ashokan could go ahead with the review if he wanted to, but chances of it landing up at the same SC bench were high, something that Ashokan consider before taking any step.

Earlier, Hadiya’s father had told the court that she was being “psychologically and physically abducted”.

This, over a month after the Supreme Court observed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cannot probe the marital aspect of the Hadiya case.

During the course of the SC hearing, Hadiya has maintained that she voluntarily wanted to be with her husband Shafin Jahan. In January, when Supreme Court Justice Chandrachud asked her about her dreams for the future, she said, "I want freedom."

The Kerala High Court had annulled Hadiya’s marriage to Jahan in May 2017 and gave her custody to her parents.

The Supreme Court, in January 2018, had said that it is only Hadiya herself, who has the rights to decide on her choices.