Lost in the din is the voice of the person at the centre of the entire controversy - a woman called Akhila who chose to become Hadiya. According to the petition, Akhila was a student of the Shivraj Homeopathy Medical College, Salem when she struck up a close friendship with a Ms Jaseena and learnt about the tenets of Islam. During the hearing of the case, Hadiya asserted that she had voluntarily converted to Islam and professed her faith in the religion. Hadiya - who the court only refers to as Akhila - was sent back to stay in her parental home. The petitioner's lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising, urged the Supreme Court to first call Hadiya and ascertain her views on the matter.

Source: The Telegraph August 20, 2017 17:20 UTC