Despite the Gujarat Government dropping the idea of bringing in a law to prevent what the saffron brigade calls ‘love jihad’, the police in the state are behaving in a manner that such a legislation exists.

Such an incident has come to light as an adult woman was recently detained in a local police station through out the night following complaints from her family regarding her wish to marry a man from another community.

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Following two BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh introducing laws to prevent ‘love jihad’, the Gujarat Government too had last month announced their plans for such a law.

But, following the Supreme Court admitting petitions challenging the ‘love jihad’ laws of the two states, the Gujarat Government has quickly dropped its plan for such a law.

Being a trainee woman constable, she took a transfer to the Junagadh training centre just to be away from parental pressure but there too she was kept incommunicado even as the last date of registering her marriage under the Special Marriage Act was approaching fast.

The Gujarat High Court intervened following a Habeas Corpus petition moved by her fiancé whom she was scheduled to marry latest by 9 February, when the month-long notice period was to expire.

A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sangeeta K Vishen heard the woman’s plea on Monday through video conference with Junagadh police training centre.

As only a day was left for the marriage notice to expire, the High Court ordered that the woman be brought to Ahmedabad in a Government vehicle with police escort so that her marriage to the Muslim man could be registered on the last date.

The High Court has also sought to know from the police department as to why the woman was detained through the night and why she was prevented from making phone calls from the Junagadh training centre.

In a similar ruling last month, a High Court bench led by Justice Sonia Gokani had ordered the release of an inter-faith couple who were illegally arrested and held captive at separate places.