CBCI President Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath expressed relief over the bail but urged that the case be quashed altogether.
File Photo: IANS
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on Saturday welcomed the bail granted to two Kerala-based nuns who were arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. Leaders from across the political spectrum also expressed relief following the court’s decision.
CBCI President Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath expressed relief over the bail but urged that the case be quashed altogether.
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“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure that justice prevailed. We are all grateful,” Archbishop Thazhath said in Thrissur, adding, “Everyone knows the kind of selfless work the two sisters have been doing. What happened to them was absolutely wrong.”
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He urged the government to take necessary steps to end this injustice at the earliest, speaking to the media in Thrissur on Saturday.
A special court in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur on Saturday granted conditional bail to three individuals — including two Catholic nuns from Kerala — who had been arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA Court) Sirajuddin Qureshi granted bail to Preethi Merry, Vandana Francis (both from Kerala), and Sukaman Mandavi, on the condition that they surrender their passports, furnish a bond of ₹50,000 each, and provide two sureties.
Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested at Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them.
Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, in a Facebook post, termed the development “heartening” and stated that the political agenda behind the nuns’ arrest was “very clear.”
He further alleged that the incident highlighted the double standards of the BJP, accusing the party of turning a blind eye to the alleged atrocities against minority communities in BJP-ruled states while claiming to protect them in Kerala for political gains.
Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan also welcomed the court’s decision, calling the case against the nuns “false and fabricated.”
Expressing happiness over the release of the nuns, BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he was grateful to the judiciary, the Prime Minister, and Home Minister Amit Shah for making the release possible.
“If the political drama had not happened, bail should have been granted three days ago,” he said.
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