“I was a Communist Party follower since childhood. But the party is playing dirty vote-bank politics with an eye on minority votes… Like many Hindus of Kerala, I am also torn between my belief and law. I personally believe customs and traditions should not come under the purview of courts. Let religious scholars and other decide on such issues,” a report in Hindustan Times quoted Ashokan as saying.
Hadiya, 24, embraced Islam and married Shafin Jahan, a Muslim. Hadiya's father alleged that she was forcibly converted by groups with links to terrorist outfits. Later, the Kerala High Court in May 2017 had nullified her marriage to Jahan and she was given in the custody of her father, an order set aside by the Supreme Court in March this year.
While Hadiya's parents have been alleging that her marriage was a case of 'love jihad' and that she was converted to Islam forcibly, Hadiya has refuted these claim