Conversion controversy in Supreme Court: Woman chooses parents over lover

The drama in the Supreme Court surrounding a Muslim man who underwent a conversion to Hinduism in order to marry a Hindu woman fizzled out today, with the woman expressing her desire to go with her parents..Appearing before a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, the woman Anjali Jain said that she wanted to go with her parents..The Court noted the same and allowed the woman to go with her parents. It modified the Chhattisgarh High Court order to that extent..This case, which drew parallels to the Hadiya case, began as a Habeas Corpus petition in Chhattisgarh High Court..The petition was filed by one Mohd Ibrahim Sidhiqui (appellant) who had converted to Hinduism and taken the name Aryan Arya to marry his lady love. Siddiqui had converted from Islam to Hinduism on February 23, 2018, at Raipur, Chhattisgarh..After his conversion, the appellant and Anjali Jain got married at the Arya Samaj Temple at Raipur, Chhattisgarh on February 25, 2018, as per Hindu rites and traditions..Anjali Jain returned to her parents’ home at Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh but did not inform her parents about her marriage. The appellant and Anjali had hoped that they would create a conducive atmosphere and gradually disclose their marriage to Anjali’s family..However, Anjali’s parents got to know about her marriage with the appellant from some outside sources..The appellant and Anjali then planned for her to move out of her parents’ home without informing her parents. Towards that objective, Anjali left her parents’ home at night of June 30..However, before she could meet the appellant, she was found by some policemen who first took her to the police station and from there to Sakhi Center, a crisis centre set up for women by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development..It was contended that despite her wish to go with her husband, the local State Police recorded her statement incorrectly that she wished to go with her parents, and gave custody to her father Ashok Jain..The appellant then filed a Habeas Corpus petition before the Chhattisgarh High Court due to inaction by police authorities despite complaints being made to them..The High Court, despite recording that the detenue was a major of 23 years of age, and by her own admission was married, refused to release her. Instead, it gave her the option to either live with her parents or to be accommodated in a hostel..It was the appellant’s case before the Supreme Court that the High Court had erroneously declined to direct the release of the appellant’s wife to her husband..When the matter was heard last week, Bench had issued notice to the District Magistrate at Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh, the Superintendent of Police at Dhamtari, the Station House Officer of City Kotwali, and the father of the woman, Ashok Kumar Jain..The Court had also directed the Superintendent of Police, Dhamtari to produce the woman before the Court on August 27..Pursuant to the same, the woman came to Court today and clarified her position.