Chhattisgarh Court Grants Bail to Two Kerala Nuns

Bilaspur

A special NIA court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday, August 2, granted conditional bail to three individuals — including two Kerala-based Catholic nuns — arrested on charges of human trafficking and forcible religious conversion.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi delivered the verdict a day after reserving the order following a hearing on Friday. Defence lawyer Amrito Das confirmed the trio had been granted conditional bail.

The arrested include nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis from Kerala, and Sukaman Mandavi. They were apprehended at Durg railway station on July 25 after a Bajrang Dal functionary filed a complaint accusing them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them. A railway police official had earlier said the three girls were found in the company of the accused.

After Friday’s bail hearing, Das noted that the prosecution had not sought custodial interrogation of the accused, and the three girls allegedly involved had already been sent home.

The case has triggered political ripples, with the BJP's Kerala and Chhattisgarh units differing in their stance. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar assured that the nuns would receive justice, indicating internal discomfort within the party over the arrests.

The Christian community staged protests in several cities, including Hyderabad, denouncing the arrests as unjust and communal. The case has become a flashpoint in ongoing debates over religious freedom and anti-conversion laws in India.

The court’s decision to grant bail is seen as a temporary relief, even as the investigation continues.