Two Kerala-based nuns, Preeti Marry and Vandana Francis, were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. The Government Railway Police (GRP) detained them following a complaint filed by members of a right-wing group. The complaint alleged that the nuns were trafficking and forcibly converting three tribal women from Narayanpur. Another person, Sukhman Mandavi, was also arrested. All three were charged under human trafficking and religious conversion laws.
On Saturday, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Bilaspur granted bail to the accused. Amrito Das, lawyer for the nuns, said the court found no need to keep them in custody. The GRP failed to provide evidence justifying custodial interrogation. Earlier, a sessions court had rejected their bail plea, but the case was later transferred to the NIA court due to the trafficking charge.
One of the three women involved told the media that the nuns were innocent. She said she was already a Christian and accused right-wing activists of pressuring her to change her statement. She also claimed the GRP ignored her version of events and filed the FIR based solely on the complaint. The women were briefly sent to a shelter home before being released back to their families.
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Das argued in court that the women were adults and longtime Christians. “There’s no evidence of assault, coercion, or trafficking,” he said. He emphasized the nuns’ clean records and lack of motive. The prosecution admitted the investigation was still in early stages and could not explain why custody was necessary. The court sided with the defence and granted all three bail.
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