A dispute has arisen regarding the marriage of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Umar Abdullah. Moulana Shahabuddin Rizvi, the national president of the All India Muslim Community from Bareilly, declared the marriage between Umar Abdullah and journalist Nidhi Radjan to be invalid.
Citing Sharia law, Moulana Shahabuddin Rizvi asserted that the marriage between Umar Abdullah and Nidhi Radjan is impossible. He explained that Islam establishes specific rules and guidelines for marriage, requiring both spouses to be Muslims. If one of the partners is not a Muslim, the marriage cannot take place.
Rizvi continued, noting that although Minister Umar Abdullah is a Muslim, his wife Nidhi Radjan is not a Muslim. Consequently, according to Islamic principles, a Muslim cannot enter into marriage with a non-Muslim through Nikah.
Referencing Islamic jurisprudence, the Moulana stated that the marriage can only receive Islamic recognition if the non-Muslim converts to Islam before the Nikah is concluded. He specified that such a marriage is not considered lawful under Islamic law. However, if the non-Muslim partner converts to Islam and embraces the religion before the marriage, the union may be considered valid. In this case, this did not happen, so according to Islamic principles, this marriage is invalid.
Neither Umar Abdullah nor Nidhi Radjan have made any comments on this matter at present. It should be noted that Umar Abdullah and Nidhi Radjan married on October 30, 2026, and published photos on October 31, officially confirming their relationship. This is Umar Abdullah's second marriage; he was previously married to Payal Nat. Nidhi Radjan was previously married to journalist Nilesh Mishra.