The term 'Love Jihad' is not defined under the extant of laws and no such case has been reported by any of the central agencies, the Centre said in Parliament on Tuesday.
Responding to a question by Congress MP Behanan Benny, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the Article 25 of the Constitution provides for the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health.
Various courts, including the Kerala High Court, have upheld this view, his reply said.
"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," he said in reply to a written question.
The minister, however, said two cases from Kerala involving inter-faith marriage have been probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The NIA had conducted interfaith marriages in Kerala in 2018 in the background of Hadiya case that reached the Supreme Court. The case was about the marriage of Hadiya, a Hindu woman who had converted to Islam and married Shafin Jahan.
The marriage was annulled by the Kerala high court on the basis of a petition filed by her father. The Supreme Court later set aside the high court order.
The NIA chose to investigate 11 of 89 interfaith marriages that were before the law enforcement authorities in Kerala. These cases, brought to notice by parents of the couples, were referred to the anti-terrorism wing by the Kerala police. The NIA closed the case after it found no evidence to suggest that either the man or the woman in the marriage was forced to convert.
Responding to the minister's claim in the Lok Sabha, Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala said, "The Synod expressed concern about inter-religious love affairs in light of discussions received from various dioceses. Synod demanded that case be investigated as a matter of serious concern to society. The situation in which Synod made this demand still exists."
