‘No case of love jihad in Kerala’: Centre tells Parliament

New Delhi, Feb 04: There is no case of "love jihad" in Kerala, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that there are no such cases in the southern state.

"The term 'Love Jihad' is not defined under the extant laws. No such case of 'Love Jihad' has been reported by any of the central agencies," junior home minister G Kishan Reddy said in the reply.

"However, two cases from Kerala involving inter-faith marriages have been investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)," Reddy said.

"Article 25 of the Constitution provides for the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health. Various courts have upheld this view including the Kerala High Court," he said.

Raising concern over, "Love Jihad" in Kerala, a senior priest of the Catholic Church said the incidents of young women from the southern state being used as"sex slaves" in war-torn nations are a reality and turning a blind eye to it "amounts to giving a silent sanction" to that.

Referring to the incidents of Christian women taken to Syria and Afghanistan after being allegedly trapped in "Love Jihad", he said some of them were traced even to jails of the conflict-hit nations.