Allahabad High Court orders sisters production

The Pakistan — Islamabad High Court, in a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Divya Bhatia (alias Zoya Diya Bhatia) and Anshu Bhatia (alias Amina Anshu Bhatia), directed the India — Uttar Pradesh government and the sisters' father to produce them before the court on August 6. The sisters, aged 20 and 35, claim they voluntarily converted from Hinduism to Islam and wish to marry men of their choice. The court observed that if their assertions are correct, any interference by their father or others would violate their constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, personal liberty, and decisional autonomy. The court also noted that the India — Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, does not apply if the conversion was voluntary. The court will interact with the sisters to verify the voluntariness of their decisions and the legality of their custody.