Bilaspur, August 2, 2025, A special NIA court in Chhattisgarh granted bail to two Kerala-based nuns, Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, on Saturday, nine days after their arrest on July 25 at Durg railway station. The trio faced allegations of human trafficking and forced religious conversion of three tribal girls from Narayanpur district, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary. The bail, granted by Principal District and Sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi, required the accused to surrender their passports, provide two sureties, and furnish a ₹50,000 bond each.
Defence lawyer Amrito Das argued that the three girls were adults already practicing Christianity and were neither forcibly taken nor misled, as confirmed by their parents to the police. He emphasized that the accused were not remanded to police custody, and the girls had returned home. The prosecution, led by Dauram Chandravanshi, opposed the bail, citing the early stage of the investigation.
The arrests triggered a political storm, with opposition parties, particularly the Congress, raising the issue in Parliament. A delegation from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in Kerala visited Raipur on Friday to meet the nuns, alleging that referring the case to an NIA court was a deliberate tactic to delay bail. The case has sparked debates over religious freedom and the misuse of anti-conversion laws, with critics arguing it reflects rising tensions over religious conversions in tribal areas. The court’s decision marks a significant development, though the investigation continues, raising questions about the balance between legal scrutiny and individual rights.
