Ahead of EVM-VVPAT verification case order, SC calls ECI officer to explain queries
The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khana and Dipankar Datta had last week reserved its verdict on a batch of public interest litigations in the matter.
The Centre on Tuesday said the term ”Love Jihad” is not defined under the extant of laws and no such case has been reported by any of the central agencies.
This was in response to the questions about whether the Government is aware of the observation of Kerala High Court that there is no case of love jihad in the southern state.
Union Minister of State for Home, G Kishan Reddy, said the Article 25 of the Constitution provides for the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health.
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Various courts, including the Kerala High Court, have upheld this view.
“The term ”Love Jihad” is not defined under the extant laws. No such case of ”Love Jihad” has been reported by any of the central agencies,” he said in reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha.
The minister, however, said two cases from Kerala involving inter-faith marriage have been probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Earlier, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had said that it is not against interfaith marriages but only against ‘love jihad’ aimed at tricking Hindu girls to marrying Muslim youths to have them converted to Islam.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the biggest Christian community in Kerala, had also expressed concern over the manner in which the police are handling the issue of ‘Love Jihad’ in the state.
This concern was expressed at the Synod (meeting of the bishops of the Church) get together that ended on Tuesday night and the blame was put on the police for not doing an effective policing job to curb this menace.
Kerala had witnessed a major allegation of ‘Love Jihad’ when a youth from the Muslim community married a girl from the Hindu community, who got converted to Islam. But the Supreme Court had ordered the case in favour of the couple Shefin Jahan and Hadiya, denying the allegation of ‘Love Jihad’.
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