A special NIA court in Chhattisgarh has granted conditional bail to two Kerala nuns and a male companion who were arrested last week on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. Principal District and Sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi granted bail to Sisters Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), and Sukaman Mandavi, a tribal youth from the state.

The three were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station after a complaint was filed by a local Bajrang Dal functionary. The complainant alleged that the trio had trafficked three girls from Narayanpur and were attempting to forcibly convert them.

The bail was granted under several conditions. The accused must surrender their passports and furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 each, with two persons acting as sureties. They are also not allowed to leave the country and must not influence witnesses.

The defense lawyer for the nuns, Amrito Das, argued that the FIR was "absolutely baseless," and noted that the parents of the girls had given statements affirming that their daughters had been practicing Christianity for several years. He asserted that there was no question of forced conversion and also that they were adults being taken for work to Agra and they had said they were going voluntarily, so there was no human trafficking. B Gopa Kumar, another defence lawyer, stated that there were no ingredients for the allegations of human trafficking and forced religious conversion found in the police diary against the accused.

The public prosecutor opposed the bail, citing the serious nature of the charges and the preliminary stage of the interrogation.

The court, however, granted bail considering that no prior criminal record was found of any of the accused, all alleged victims are adults, and no material was presented to prove coercion or inducement for religious conversion. The accused were not found in possession of any objectionable material, and the prosecution did not seek custodial interrogation, indicating no immediate need for further detention, the order stated. The court noted that while the allegations are serious, the investigation is in a preliminary stage, and no direct evidence of trafficking or forced conversion has been presented so far.

CPM leader Brinda Karat said this is a big victory for tribals and adivasi groups that had countered the allegations and demanded action against Bajrang Dal and Hindu Vahini for filing false complaints.

With the court granting conditional bail, the three accused were released from jail on Saturday evening, though legal proceedings in the case will continue.

President of Kerala Catholic Bishops Council Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos told TOI, “With the bail granted, the first charter of the circumstance has come to a conclusion, but we don't think the issue is closed. The judicial process now begins and we wish the sisters to be declared innocent after the legal process". Speaking as the spokesman of the Church, Baselios said, “We all believe that they are innocent and were trying to help the young girls".

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai said, "It was a legal procedure and bail has been granted in it".