Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court has ordered a father and the Uttar Pradesh Government to jointly pay ₹25 lakh in compensation to two adult sisters who were illegally confined at their parental home after they converted from Hinduism to Islam.
A bench of Justice Sandeep Jain passed the order while allowing a habeas corpus petition concerning the two women, identified as Diya Bhatia and her sister. The court held that the confinement of the sisters by their father, following their decision to embrace Islam, was illegal and violated their fundamental rights.
The ruling is a clear affirmation that adult women in India hold the right to choose their religion freely. The court’s intervention through a habeas corpus petition underscores the constitutional guarantee of personal liberty, which no individual, including a parent, can override.
The joint liability imposed on both the father and the state government is notable. It signals that authorities also bear responsibility when they fail to protect citizens from unlawful detention, even within a domestic setting.
For the Muslim community, the case carries particular significance. Converts to Islam often face family and social resistance, and this ruling reinforces the legal protections available to them. The court’s decision establishes that religious conversion by an adult is a personal choice that courts will protect.
The ₹25 lakh compensation award reflects the gravity with which the court treated the violation. Courts in India have increasingly used compensation in habeas corpus matters to address breaches of fundamental rights, and this order continues that trend.
The case draws attention to a wider pattern in which adult women who convert to Islam face illegal confinement under the guise of family concern. Legal experts say such rulings set important precedents that can be cited in future cases involving similar circumstances.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has yet to issue a formal statement on the order.
