New Delhi: On March 7, the Kerala high court extended the period of police protection which was initially granted to an interfaith couple who came to Kerala all the way from Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district so that they could marry each other. This came weeks after the court issued an interim order on February 27, directing local police to give protection to the couple who had gotten married in Kerala.
The couple in question are 26-year-old Asha Verma and 30-year-old Mohammad Ghalib, who had been in a long-distance relationship for a while. Asha’s family, however, refused to let her choose a partner for herself. When Asha’s family began making preparations to marry her off to a man in his forties, Ghalib returned from his job as an engineer in the UAE and sought to marry her. Asha’s family said that could not be allowed because he was Muslim. The couple escaped to Ranchi on February 8-9 – when Asha’s father Dhruv Prasad left home to attend the Maha Kumbh – from their hometown of Chitarpur.
With a little help from a friend, by early February 2025, the couple reached Kayamkulam in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. They sought the help of a local lawyer, Gaya S. Latha, who told The Wire their story.
“They approached me around February 8. I think they had googled for local legal help or found me on JustDial. We helped them get married as per both religious customs. They first got married as per Islamic religious rites – there was no conversion for the nikkah – at a masjid here on February 11.Then on February 16, they had a temple wedding as per Hindu customs,” said Latha.
In spite of the fact that Asha and Ghalib were two consenting adults, the Jharkhand Police registered a case of kidnapping against Ghalib following a complaint by Asha’s 19-year-old younger brother Rounak Verma. Ghalib was booked under sections 87 [pertaining to kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman compelling her to marriage] and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Meanwhile, Hindutva vigilantes in Chitarpur also raised alarm bells over the elopement.
A police official, along with Asha’s sister Alka came all the way to Kayamkulam, to record her statement.
In her statement, on February 15, Asha said that she had entered into the marriage out of her own free will. She also made a video recording declaring to the police that she had married Ghalib of her own free will and no abduction or forced conversion took place. In spite of her statement, she was still repeatedly hounded by her family and the policeman who had arrived from her hometown. She also received threatening phone calls, and was emotionally blackmailed by family members who said that her father was hospitalised thanks to her decision to marry of her own free will. Then, two sub-inspectors came from Jharkhand with an arrest warrant.
“During the recording of my statement, my sister and the police subjected me to threats, and attempted to forcibly take me back to Jharkhand against my will,” Asha said.
Apprehending further trouble, the couple moved Kerala high court, and managed to get a verdict in their favour. The court order also asked the station-house officer (SHO) at Kayamkulam police station to ensure that the couple not be taken back to Jharkhand or any other place by force or coercion.
Lawyer Latha says that the couple are lodged at a home in the state and are under police protection. Latha said that there appeared to be a “vast difference” between interfaith couples seeking to marry in BJP-ruled states, and at a place like Kerala.
“Asha is a full-grown adult. What is the problem? It’s very sweet. Ghalib is a Pathan, so now she says she wants to go by Asha Khan, or Asha Verma Khan – just like Kareena Kapoor Khan. Did Kareena or any of the celebrities convert? They are also living their lives happily. There is no ‘love jihad’, they are simply in love,” Latha said.
