Hadiya, whose conversion was at centre of debate in Kerala, says she has divorced, remarried

She came out with the video a day after her father K M Ashokan, a native of Vaikkom, moved a habeas corpus petition in the Kerala High Court alleging that he could not trace his daughter. Ashokan said they used to speak with Hadiya over the phone, but do not know about her present whereabouts. The High Court will consider the plea next week.

In the video on Saturday, Hadiya said she doesn’t know why her father moved the High Court. She refused to disclose details about her new life partner saying such things need not be made public.

Hadiya had been running a clinic in Malappuram district. After getting divorced, she has moved to Thiruvananthapuram. When contacted, her family refused to comment on the issue.

Hadiya, who was born and brought up as K M Akhila in a Hindu family in Kottayam, was first drawn towards Islam while studying medicine in Tamil Nadu. Later, she embraced the faith and married Jahan, who then worked in the Middle East.

Trouble started when her father moved a habeas corpus plea in the Kerala High Court challenging their marriage. The court nullified the marriage and allowed parents her custody, triggering a sensational debate in the state. For months, she lived in police protection.

In March, 2018, the Supreme Court allowed her to live with her husband Jahan, setting aside the Kerala High Court order that had annulled their marriage. The SC had acted upon a petition from Jahan. Ashokan had also impleaded in the case, alleging that he cannot allow his daughter to go along with “a terrorist”.

The National Investigation Agency had also probed the incident to look into whether she was forced to convert to Islam. The three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, had however allowed the NIA to continue its investigation into the case.