A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district granted conditional bail on Saturday to two Kerala-based Catholic nuns, Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis, and Sukaman Mandavi, arrested on July 25 for alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion. Principal District and Sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi delivered the verdict after reserving the order following Friday’s hearing, defense lawyer Amrito Das confirmed.

The trio was detained at Durg railway station after a Bajrang Dal activist accused them of forcibly converting and trafficking three tribal girls from Narayanpur district. The FIR cited violations of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Das argued that the girls, all adults, were practicing Christians and had parental consent for travel, supported by letters presented in court. The alleged victims were sent home, and the prosecution did not seek custody for interrogation.

The case sparked a political firestorm, with Kerala’s Left Democratic Front and Congress alleging BJP-orchestrated persecution of Christians. One alleged victim, Kamleshwari Pradhan, claimed coercion by Bajrang Dal to give a false statement, a charge the group denies. Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured Kerala MPs that the Chhattisgarh government would not oppose bail, following protests in Kerala and Parliament. The bail decision ends nine days of judicial custody, spotlighting tensions over religious freedom and minority rights in the state.

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