ALAPPUZHA: They are still not out of their teen years. Yet, the determination in their voice tell us they have matured beyond their age. The whirlwind love story of H Hanize, 18, and Rifana Riyad, 19, could have been straight out a Bollywood tearjerker.
But the cupids are smiling at last after a division bench allowed them to live together disregarding the parental pressures. “We are relieved after the court intervened to save our lives,” Hanize told Express.
“We faced difficulties because of our age. Rifana’s family exerted tremendous pressure and told her to marry later. However, she realised that if the marriage is postponed, it will be blocked by her parents. This forced us to elope. That’s when her parents filed a suit in the court,” he added.
Hanize from Pathiyankaramuri, in Thrikunnapuzha, a coastal village of Alappuzha, fell in love with Rifana, from Zakaria Bazar, Alappuzha, while they were studying for Plus One in St Mary’s HSS, Alappuzha.
When they felt they were inseparable, they told their family and expressed interest to get married. But Rifana’s family disagreed. So they eloped in the second week of April.
Rifana’s parents lodged a complaint with the Alappuzha police, who produced them before the Magistrate court on April 22. The court allowed her to live with Hanize after it found Rifana was of marriageable age. But Rifana’s parents approached HC claiming the police or the magistrate failed to check the age of Hanize.
Eventually, the court came to rescue of the lovers. “The ego of parents led to the case. Now that the court has come to their aid, we hope a better life for the couple,” said Saji Pathiyankara, a social activists from Thrikunnapuzha.