Over three months after a Muslim man, 27, had “eloped” with a girl from a different faith to get married and was put behind the bars, and over a month after he stepped out on bail, the interfaith couple in UP’s Bareilly sought permission from an SDM to get married, only to be told that they have to wait for another month for police clearance.
The couple was also carrying an Allahabad HC order giving them the freedom to get married and an exemption from the notice period under special circumstances by the marriage officer.
They had eloped on October 17. A few days later, scores of members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad vandalised a police station alleging inaction on ‘love jihad’. The couple was later “recovered” from Rajasthan’s Ajmer. The man was booked for allegedly forging the girl’s Aadhaar card to get a room in a hotel. SDM of Sadar area, Vishu Raja, said, “The law favours the couple, but they would have to wait for a police report to ensure there is no law and order issue.”
