JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday ordered the release of 22-year-old converted woman to go to her husband Faiz Modi and asked the police to ensure her safety, The Hindu reported.
The court also allowed Aarifa earlier know as Payal Singhvi, to leave Nari Niketan (women shelter) in Jodhpur where she was sent for seven days following allegations that she was forcibly converted to Islam and married off to a Muslim youth.
Jodhpur: Rajasthan HC allows Aarifa aka Payal to live with her husband Faiz. Aarifa's family had alleged forced marriage, love jihad.
— Mahim Pratap Singh (@mayhempsingh) November 7, 2017
The bench of justices headed by Gopal Krishna Vyas and Manoj Kumar Garg said the woman was not a minor and was free to marry a man of her choice.
November 1, the woman, Aarifa, appeared in a burqa in tight security told that she was present before the court “on her own free will” without any threat or inducement and willingly married Faiz Modi.
The court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the 22-year-old woman’s brother, Chirag Sanghvi, who says his sister went missing on October 25 from their home.
The brother in his petition alleged that one Faiz Modi had been harassing his sister for long and abducted her while she was going to college. She was forcibly converted to Islam and made to sign some papers by him and fake marriage documents were prepared.
Right wing activists gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against Aarifa being allowed to go with her husband.