‘Illegal’ marriage lands man from Nizamabad in Saudi jail

Ch Sushil Rao / TNN / Updated: Jul 1, 2019, 09:03 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

A man from Nizamabad has been put behind bars in Saudi for marrying his kafeel’s (employer) daughter. The man was arrested following a complaint from the kafeel alleging that the man, Shaik Azeemuddin, had married his daughter without consent.

‘Illegal’ marriage lands man from Nizamabad in Saudi jail

Picture used for representational purpose only

HYDERABAD: A man from Nizamabad has been put behind bars in Saudi for marrying his kafeel’s (employer) daughter. The man was arrested following a complaint from the kafeel alleging that the man, Shaik Azeemuddin, had married his daughter without consent.
Azeemuddin’s family in Nizamabad has urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to help him out as they claim that he had not done anything illegal but was still languishing in jail.

“We want him to be released,” Rayyan, his brother told TOI.
Azeemuddin was employed as a driver under Naser Al-Harabi in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan. The kafeel’s 27-year-old daughter, Raja Al-Haribi and Azeemuddin fell in love while he was working there. In January 2018, he had returned to Nizamabad. According to family sources, on May 2, 2018, the girl left Saudi Arabia after telling her parents that she was travelling to Oman, from where she was brought to India by Azeemuddin.
The couple got married in Nizamabad and have a marriage certificate issued by the Telangana State Waqf Board. When the woman’s father came to know about it, he lodged a complaint with the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi alleging that his daughter had been kidnapped by Azeemuddin. Acting on the complaint that had been forwarded to them, Nizamabad Police arrested both Azeemuddin and Raja Al-Haribi. In court, the woman informed that she had gotten married of her own free will and there was no force or compulsion. As the marriage certificate was also produced, the judge ruled that they could live as husband and wife.

As Raja Al-Haribi was expecting a baby, her father Naser Al-Haribi reportedly conveyed to them that he had accepted their marriage and asked the couple to travel back to Saudi Arabia. He even sent a visa for Azeemuddin. But when they landed at Jeddah airport on Aril 20, 2019, Azeemuddin was arrested. He was produced in court on June 29 and is currently lodged in Shumaisi Jail.
An advocate friend of Azeemuddin’s family said that they had learnt that the court in Saudi Arabia said it would summon Raja Al-Haribi also and ask for her version. He said the court had pointed out that according to Saudi law, the marriage of a girl cannot be performed without the presence of her father giving away the bride.

About the Author

Ch Sushil Rao

Sushil Rao is Editor-Special Reports, at The Times of India, Hyderabad. He began his journalism career at the age of 20 in 1988. He is a gold medalist in journalism from the Department of Communication and Journalism, Arts College, Osmania University, Hyderabad from where he did his post-graduation from. He has been with The Times of India’s Hyderabad edition since its launch in 2000. He has also done an introductory course in film studies from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and also from the Central University of Kerala equipping himself with the knowledge of filmmaking for film criticism. He has authored four books. In his career spanning 34 years, he has worked for five newspapers and has also done television reporting. He was also a web journalist during internet’s infancy in the mid 1990s in India. He covers defence, politics, diaspora, innovation, administration, the film industry, Hyderabad city and Telangana state, and human interest stories. He is also a podcaster, blogger, does video reporting and makes documentaries.

End of Article