Kerala love-jihad case: Supreme Court asks NIA to investigate matter

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate a case of 'love jihad' involving a Muslim man's marriage to a Hindu woman converted to Islam.

Last week, the top Court had ordered the Kerala Police to share with the NIA the probe details of a case.

The issue reached the apex court as the man challenged the annulment of the marriage by the Kerala High Court which ordered the state police to probe such cases.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud had taken a serious note of the objection raised by the counsel for Kerala-native Shafin Jahan that the NIA should not be allowed to peruse the investigation records of the police in the case.

Jahan, who had married a Hindu woman in last December, had moved the apex court after the Kerala High Court annulled his marriage, saying that it was an insult to the independence of women in the country.

The woman, a Hindu, had converted to Islam and later married Jahan.

It was alleged that the woman was recruited by Islamic State's mission in Syria and Jahan was only a stooge.

The NIA, represented by Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, had moved the apex court in the forenoon seeking an order that it be allowed to access the records of the investigation carried so far by the state police.

The bench, which allowed Jahan to file his response to the NIA's plea, had said that the central probe agency would not be able to assist the police in a fair manner if it was not allowed access to the probe records.

(With PTI inputs)