Kerala Nuns Denied Bail In Chhattisgarh, Case Referred To NIA Court

Two Kerala nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh on charges of forced religious conversion and human trafficking will remain in judicial custody after a sessions court in Durg declined to hear their bail application, stating it lacked jurisdiction.

The court observed that the case falls under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act and must be heard by the designated NIA court in Bilaspur. A formal written order is awaited.

Preeti Marry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested last Friday at Durg railway station following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member. The First Information Report (FIR), lodged by the Government Railway Police (GRP), includes offences under the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

The bail application came up for hearing on Wednesday before the Additional District Judge, as the sessions judge was on leave. “The judge said in one line that he does not have the authority to hear the matter because it comes under the NIA Act,” said Ravi Shankar Singh, secretary of the Durg Advocates Association, according to The Indian Express. “The police have been told they have 15 days to approach the central government for transferring the case to the NIA court.”

Advocate Tamaskar Tondon, representing the nuns, argued that the FIR was lodged without a proper inquiry and was based on suspicion. “The women allegedly being trafficked are all adults, and their families had no objection to them travelling for work,” he said. He further claimed the FIR was filed under pressure from a woman seen entering and exiting the police station.

Tondon added, “The court said the matter must go to an NIA court, but we questioned why the nuns should stay in jail when the delay is not on their part.”

Rajkumar Tiwari, another lawyer for the accused, confirmed that the bail plea had been disposed of. “The case will remain with GRP for now. Either the state or central government will decide if it should move to an NIA court. Meanwhile, we are considering moving either the NIA court or the High Court for relief,” he said, speaking to The Indian Express.

The arrests have triggered political responses in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi. Members of Parliament from both the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front staged separate protests outside Parliament on Wednesday.

Brinda Karat, a CPI (M) politburo member who tried to meet the nuns in jail, said, “This persecution is happening across the country. Even during Bhupesh Baghel’s government, such incidents took place. We see this as a women’s issue, the women in question are adults. Why should they need written permission to go anywhere for work?”

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel criticised the arrests, calling them an example of “politics of polarisation”. In a post on social media, he said, “Our general secretary has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. We also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. Wherever the BJP is in power, they target minorities for votes.”