A special NIA court in Bilaspur on Saturday granted conditional bail to two Catholic nuns and a tribal youth arrested in a high-profile case of alleged religious conversion and human trafficking. The court observed that the accused had no prior criminal history and ordered their release on a personal bond of ₹50,000 each, subject to strict conditions, including surrendering their passports and not leaving the country without prior court approval.
The accused, Sisters Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis, along with Sukhman Mandavi, were taken into custody on July 25 at Durg railway station following a complaint by Bajrang Dal members. They alleged that the three were coercing tribal girls from Narayanpur into converting to Christianity and were attempting to transport them out of the state under false pretenses.
Initially detained by the Railway Protection Force in Durg, the case was referred to the National Investigation Agency’s jurisdiction after the Durg Sessions Court declined to proceed, citing lack of territorial jurisdiction. The matter was then transferred to the special NIA court in Bilaspur.
During the hearing, defence counsel Amrito Das argued that the girls were neither kidnapped nor coerced, and that they belonged to Christian families who had willingly permitted them to travel. Consent letters from the girls’ parents were submitted to the court, affirming that the decision to travel was voluntary. “Both nuns are social workers with clean records. The case has been distorted to serve political agendas,” said Das. Special Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi, while granting bail, noted that no strong evidence of force or inducement had emerged in the preliminary probe.
Congress state president Deepak Baij welcomed the verdict, calling it “a victory of justice over propaganda.” He added, “The girls have confirmed they travelled with the consent of their families. The BJP is using conversion politics to divert attention from governance failures.”
Congress MLA from Bilaspur, Atal Shrivastava, accused right-wing groups of inciting communal tension. “This is a clear attempt to manufacture hate and divide communities under the garb of religion. We trust the judiciary, and today’s decision restores that faith,” he said. Reacting to a video circulating on social media, which purportedly shows a local Hindu activist, Jyoti Sharma, threatening the accused at the railway station, Shrivastava said, “I don’t know who Jyoti Sharma is, but such behaviour is characteristic of the BJP ecosystem.”
Senior CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat also condemned the arrests in a sharply worded statement. “This case is part of a larger pattern where organisations like the BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal, and Durga Vahini weaponise false FIRs against minorities and tribal communities engaged in faith-based service,” she said. “The Christian community, along with democratic forces, will legally challenge every falsehood. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the case and will continue the fight until justice is achieved.”