The court ruled that a marriage would be "invalid" if a Muslim girl doesn't convert to Hinduism before she marries a Hindu man.
The couple also showed photographs as proof of their marriage. The couple also told the court that they had sought protection from SP Ambala, but no action was taken.
After hearing their plea, the court ruled that "a marriage between a Muslim woman and a Hindu man is invalid till the bride converts to Hinduism," India Today reported. However, the court said that the two could continue to live together and have a "consensual relationship."
The court further ordered the SP to ensure that there is no threat to their lives and liberty. The court also clarified that nothing of this order should be interpreted if there is any criminal case against the boy.
On the other hand, the Allahabad high court in October 2020 had dismissed a writ petition filed by a married couple seeking protection, saying that “religious conversion just for the purpose of marriage is not unacceptable”, the New Indian Express reported. While making these observations, the single judge bench court had referred to a 2014 judgment in the Noor Jahan Begum case, where the court had dismissed a batch of writ petitions seeking protection of the married couple.
It is important to note that in this particular case, as per the Hindu laws, for the marriage to be valid, there has to be consent from both parties and the marriage has to be registered. Whereas the marriage would hold invalid under the Muslim laws, considering one of them was a Muslim, and the other was a Hindu. In order to hold their marriage valid, the couple could have married under the Special Marriages Act, 1954, which allows marriages irrespective of the faith or religion of either party.
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