Two Catholic nuns from Kerala, Preethy Mary and Vandana Francis, who were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion, were released from Durg Central Jail in Chhattisgarh on Saturday after a special court granted them bail. The court also extended bail to co-accused Sukaman Mandavi.
The bail was approved earlier in the day by the special court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA court) Sirajuddin Qureshi in Bilaspur. As part of the bail conditions, the accused have been directed to surrender their passports, remain within the country, and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
Each of them was asked to submit a bond of ₹50,000 with two sureties, according to defence lawyer Amrito Das. The detailed court order is awaited.
The trio had been arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Durg railway station on July 25, following a complaint filed by a local Bajrang Dal functionary. The complaint alleged that the nuns were involved in forcibly converting three young women from Narayanpur and trafficking them.
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Political Reactions and Counter-Complaint by Alleged Victims
Following their release, the two nuns were greeted outside Durg Central Jail by several Kerala leaders, including LDF Members of Parliament and Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The case has triggered a political row, with Congress and CPI(M) leaders questioning the arrests, while Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accused them of politicising the matter. Responding to the bail order, Sai stated, “It was a legal procedure, and bail has been granted in it.”
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In a new development, the three young women at the center of the allegations approached the Superintendent of Police in Narayanpur district seeking to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Bajrang Dal activists. They alleged they were assaulted and pressured into giving false statements implicating the nuns.
