India’s Allahabad High Court observed that the right to choose a partner is fundamental, while also noting that religious conversion for the sole purpose of marriage is not permitted.
Indian social media users have welcomed a judgment by a state court in which it rejected a complaint filed by the parents of a Hindu girl who married a Muslim man.
The Indian court also said that choosing a partner is a “fundamental right” of Indian citizens.
“We do not see Priyanka Kharwar and Salamat Ansari as Hindu and Muslim, rather as two grown-up individuals, who out of their own free will and choice, are living together peacefully and happily over a year”, the two-judge bench of the court was quoted as saying in Indian media reports.
Priyanka, a Hindu girl, married Salamat, a Muslim, in August last year against the wishes of her parents. Just before they tied the knot, Priyanka is said to have converted to Islam, triggering accusations of “bullying” by her parents.
On 11 November, the boy called upon the court to quash the charges levelled against him by the girl’s parents.
On the other side, backing the girl’s parents, an Uttar Pradesh state government lawyer argued that the marriage had “no sanctity” under Indian law since religious conversion for the express purpose of marriage is “banned.”
Agreeing with the argument that religious conversion for the sole purpose of marriage could not be allowed, the court, however, said that the current case concerned a matter of the “life and liberty” of grown-up individuals.
Uttar Pradesh is among several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed states in the country calling for introducing a law to regulate interfaith marriages.
Top BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh state chief Yogi Adityanath, have in the past alleged that Muslim men have been “tricking” Hindu girls into marriage to effect a “demographic change”.
One of India’s most populous states with a large Muslim population, Uttar Pradesh is reportedly close to tabling a law that would punish men for “forcibly” converting women under the pretext of marriage. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, as well as Haryana, among other BJP-governed states, are also said to be thinking along these lines.
Netizens Laud Judges for Showing ‘Spine’
The Allahabad High Court’s order quashing the charges against the Muslim man have been termed as a “setback” for the BJP by a section of social media users, who also applauded the judges for taking a stand on the contentious issue.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
