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HC closes habeas corpus plea filed by Kerala father who alleged ‘love jihad’
Jyotsna Joseph’s father filed a habeas corpus petition in the Kerala high court, alleging that he had been abducted by Shejin M, a Communist Party of India (M) youth leader, in a case of ‘love jihad’
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala high court on Tuesday allowed a Christian woman from north Kerala to live with her Muslim husband after she rebutted her father’s claim that she was abducted and forced to marry the man.
Jyotsna Joseph’s marriage with Shejin M, a Communist Party of India (M) youth leader, triggered a huge controversy last week after Kozhikode CPI (M) leader George M Thomas referred to the relationship as a case of ‘love jihad’, forcing the party to step in and correct its senior leader.)
Jyotsna Joseph’s father, P Joseph also moved the court with a habeus corpus petition, saying he also suspected a “love jihad” angle in the case. But Jyotsna Joseph, who eloped with Shejin on April 9, a fortnight before her wedding to a man selected by her father, told the high court that she wasn’t coerced or abducted..
On Tuesday, the high court’s bench of justices V G Arun and C S Sudha, decided to close the petition filed by her father.
“The court interacted with the detenue. She categorically states that she has decided to interact with Shejin of her own free will and not under any sort of compulsion. She further states that as of now she is not interested in interacting with her parents which she will do at a later stage. Taking note of the categorical stance of the detenue and being convinced that there is no illegal detention, the petition is closed,” the court ruled.
The court also said the decision of the 26-year-old seemed to be a well-thought- out one.
Her father P Joseph said his daughter was tutored well. “She will realise her folly one day and repent,” he said, adding that he did not want to meet his daughter either.
Her husband Shejin reiterated that his wife will retain her religious identity and added that she participated in the Easter mass on Sunday.
“I understand my parents are terribly upset. I will convince them later,” said Jyotsna after coming out of the court. She works as a nurse in a middle-east country.
CPI (M) leaders said Kozhikode leader Thomas will have to answer for his sweeping comment on ‘love jihad’, a term used by right-wing activists to describe marital relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women.
The CPI (M) Kozhikode district committee is meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue, a party leader said, adding Thomas is likely to be censured or demoted.
