Daijiworld Media Network – Bilaspur
Bilaspur, Aug 2: An NIA court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, has granted conditional bail to three individuals, including two Catholic nuns from Kerala, arrested in a case related to alleged forced religious conversion and human trafficking.
Sr Vandana Francis and Sr Preeti, along with a tribal man, were arrested in Durg on July 25 and remained in custody for nine days. After the Durg sessions court declined jurisdiction, agreeing with the state's request to transfer the case, the bail application was moved to the NIA court in Bilaspur.
The NIA court, on Saturday, approved their bail on the condition that each of them surrender their passport and furnish a bond of Rs 50,000.
It may be recalled, the arrest was based on allegations made by Bajrang Dal members, who claimed that the nuns had forcibly converted three girls from Narayanpur and were involved in human trafficking. In their defence, the petitioners argued that the three women had willingly accompanied the nuns for employment at their institution. They also submitted statements from the women’s parents, confirming that their daughters had left voluntarily for job-related purposes.
The arrests sparked widespread protests from opposition parties and Christian organisations.