Kerala nuns accused of trafficking granted bail by NIA court in Chhattisgarh
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Bilaspur: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday granted bail to two Kerala-based nuns who were arrested last week on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The court had concluded arguments on the bail application on Friday.
Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, both members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation under the Syro-Malabar Church in Alappuzha district, were ordered to furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 each along with two sureties. They have also been directed to surrender their passports.
The court’s ruling paves the way for their release, marking the end of a week-long ordeal that began with their arrest on July 26. The two were working at a hospital in Agra and were accompanying three women from Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district to the city, where the women were to be employed as kitchen assistants at a convent. However, they were intercepted by Bajrang Dal activists at a railway station, who accused them of religious conversion and human trafficking.
Acting on the activists’ complaint, the local police arrested the nuns along with a man named Sukhman Mandavi, and filed charges under laws related to trafficking and religious conversion.
The arrests provoked widespread protests in Kerala, cutting across political lines. Both the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front came together in a rare display of unity, sending delegations to Chhattisgarh, staging protest marches across the state, and voicing their concerns in both Houses of Parliament.
A significant number of lawmakers from both political fronts were present at the Bilaspur court on Saturday to show solidarity during the hearing. Congress MLA Roji M. John, who had been stationed in Bilaspur, said the bail order was a long-awaited moment. Jose K. Mani, MP, stated that the priority now was to ensure the investigating officer drops all charges against the two nuns. Sister Preeti’s brother expressed gratitude to all who had supported the family through the crisis.
Leaders from the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also claimed credit for the outcome. Party general secretary Anoop Antony said the efforts made by the BJP had borne fruit. State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had maintained contact with Church authorities and had reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for intervention, is expected to arrive in Bilaspur later in the day.
AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, whose Lok Sabha constituency includes the nuns’ convent, met with local authorities on Saturday morning. He also visited the sisters in custody, offering them words of reassurance and expressing hope for a complete resolution to the case.
The nuns are expected to be released shortly. While they have been instructed to surrender their passports, there are no restrictions on their domestic travel, allowing them to move freely within the country.
With IANS inputs
