Kerala HC grants ten days to produce Kondotty woman's 'abducted' lesbian partner

Malappuram: The High Court of Kerala on Friday directed the family of Afeefa CS to produce her after ten days while considering a writ of habeas corpus filed by Sumayya Sherin, the Kondotty woman's lesbian partner.

Sumayya had moved the court alleging that her lesbian partner Afeefa, with whom she lived for four months, was abducted by her family on May 30. Sumayya said she has not been able to contact Afeefa since and fears for her safety. Onmanorama reported about their plight.

Vanaja Collective, an NGO that supports LGBTQIA+, which helped Sumayya file her petition, has decided to appeal to expedite the process.

“The family sent an advocate (to the court) as they have all disappeared from their locality. There is no way to communicate with them and the police were also not serious when we approached them,” Gargi H, secretary of Vanaja Collective told Onmanorama.

Sumayya and Afeefa had started living together in January following a favourable ruling from a Magistrate Court in Malappuram. Now she fears Afeefa's family could go to any extent to separate them.

“I am really afraid that Afeefa’s family would harm her to withdraw from this relationship. Her family is very orthodox and there is a chance that the family even practice witchcraft to separate her from me,” Sumayya told Onmanorama.

“They would use any method possible, even physical and emotional to the core, to end this relationship. We need to wait a further ten days to see her and it would be enough time for the family to manipulate her in any way.”

On not getting acceptance
Sumayya says the police and society are not supporting them because of the taboo over same-sex relationships.

“Her family has forcefully abducted her. We are of legal age and have our rights. It's a clear case of criminal offence from the side of her family and the legal system in the state is not properly dealing with it,” said Sumayya.