Parents influenced by anti-national forces, need time to accept me as Muslim: Hadiya

Kozhikode: Days after the Supreme Court scrapped the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya, the 24-year-old woman on Monday demanded the state government to compensate for the losses she incurred during her two years of struggle.

Clarifying to reporters that she had not demanded any compensation from her parents, Hadiya said, "There were some reports in the media that I demanded compensation from my parents. That is absolutely wrong. I sought compensation from the state government".

"My legal struggle lasted roughly for two years and the six months I spent with my parents were horrible. I was literally under house arrest. I lost two precious years of my life. I don’t think my parents would want to harm me but they were under the influence of some antinational forces," Hadiya was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Not elaborating on the "antinational forces", Hadiya added, "They are using them (parents) for political benefits”.

On being asked whether she would visit her parents, she said that she would not meet them as they needed time to accept her as a Muslim.

"My parents also need some time to come to terms with all that has happened. I am not going to meet them this time. They need some time to accept that I am a Muslim," NDTV reported Hadiya as saying.

The Supreme Court on March 8 restored Hadiya's marriage with Shafin Jahan stating that she was free to live with her husband and "pursue her endeavours".

Hadiya, who was born to a Hindu couple in Kerala, made headlines after she converted to Islam and married a Muslim man against the wishes of her parents.

The Kerala High Court in May, last year, annulled the marriage on a complaint by her father terming it as an instance of 'love jihad'. The high court, while declaring the marriage as "null and void", had described the case as an instance of 'love jihad' and ordered the state police to conduct probe into such cases.