SC asks if Kerala HC was justified in annulling Hadiya's marriage

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked if a roving inquiry could be ordered into the "issue of consent" between two adults who married at will and if the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya, an alleged victim of 'love jihad', was justified.

The questions from a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud came during the hearing of the Kerala conversion case.

"What troubles us is that whether there can be a roving inquiry into the issue of consent between two adults who have agreed to marry," the bench said. Whether the high court was justified in nullifying the marriage is a pure question of law, it added.

"Marriage and investigation are two different things. As far as marriage is concerned, it does not warrant an investigation. An investigation has nothing to do with it. You can investigate any other thing," the court said.