Thiruvananthapuram, December 19: In a significant development, the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed further police probe into the two complaints of alleged forcible conversion to Islam under the guise of love.
Observing that criminal justice was taken for a ride, Justice M Shashidharan Nambair said the investigation was targeted at a particular community.
The court was considering the petition of two youths, who demanded that the FIR in the cases should be cancelled. The youths were made the accused in the two cases after their lovers said they were forcibly converted to Islam after being lured into a love affair. The court asked the investigating officer to file a detailed affidavit before December 23.
However, the Bench of Justice Nambair said inter-caste love marriages take place in every community and hence it was not sensible to level allegations against a particular community.
“Love marriage is not a crime. Men and women have the freedom to live together. The police should have been more cautious while investigating cases of this nature, which would leave serious repercussions in society,” he said, adding that the officer had acted with mala fide intention.
-Agencies