Key facts
- Supreme Court said Hadiya is an adult and her marriage cannot be questioned
- Hadiya's conversion to Islam and marriage to Shafin Jahan sparked the original case
- Kerala High Court had earlier annulled the marriage; Supreme Court restored it in 2017
- Case is a landmark on personal liberty, religious freedom, and right to marry
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reaffirmed that Hadiya, the Kerala woman whose conversion to Islam and subsequent marriage sparked a nationally watched legal battle, is an adult whose marriage cannot be questioned. The court's remarks revisit one of the most consequential personal liberty cases in recent Indian legal history, restating the principle that an adult citizen's choices of faith and partner are beyond judicial or familial interference.
The Hadiya case first came to national attention when her father approached the Kerala High Court challenging her conversion and marriage to Shafin Jahan. The High Court had annulled the marriage, a decision that drew widespread criticism from civil liberties advocates. The Supreme Court subsequently stepped in, and in its landmark 2017 ruling, upheld Hadiya's autonomy, restored the marriage, and laid down that the state and courts have no business second-guessing an adult's intimate and religious choices.
The court's latest remarks appear to arise from continuing proceedings in the matter, and serve as a firm restatement of its earlier position. By declaring that Hadiya's adult status makes her marriage unchallengeable, the Supreme Court reinforces the constitutional right to personal liberty enshrined in Article 21.
The case has had lasting significance beyond the individuals involved, shaping how Indian courts approach questions of interfaith marriages, religious conversion, and the limits of parental or governmental authority over adult citizens' private lives.