Malayali Nuns Granted Bail After Nine Days in Jail Over Fabricated Trafficking Case

Durg/New Delhi: After nine days of unjust imprisonment under fabricated charges, Malayali nuns Sister Vandana Francis and Sister Preethi Mary have finally been granted bail by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. The court approved the bail on Saturday on the condition of two sureties of 50,000 rupees each. The court also directed that the nuns must submit their passports and remain within the country, explicitly prohibiting them from travelling abroad. Despite strong opposition from the prosecution, the court accepted the bail plea, and the nuns are expected to be released today.
The two nuns—Sister Vandana Francis from Udayagiri parish in Thalassery, Kannur, and Sister Preethi Mary from Elavoor parish in Angamaly—belong to the Assisi Sisters congregation. Their arrest was based on a false complaint by Bajrang Dal activists, who intercepted them at Durg railway station while they were accompanying three young women for legitimate office and hospital-related work. The young women, who were travelling with full knowledge and consent of their families, were stopped along with the nuns and handed over to the police. The families themselves confirmed they were travelling for work purposes, yet the police registered a case alleging human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
The charges slapped against the nuns are extremely serious and include sections that can lead to imprisonment for up to ten years. By invoking human trafficking—an offence under the NIA Act—the authorities ensured that the case could only be tried in an NIA Special Court, further delaying justice. The Magistrate Court rejected their initial bail plea citing lack of jurisdiction, and the Additional Sessions Court upheld the government’s position. It was only after persistent legal intervention that the matter was moved to the NIA Court in Bilaspur.
Senior advocate Amrito Das, appearing for the nuns, made it clear in court that the accusations were completely baseless. He pointed out that the young womാn involved had embraced another religion at the age of five, and all documents supporting the travel were in order. There was no evidence of trafficking or forced conversion, he said.
The arrest has triggered national concern, with growing condemnation over the misuse of the law to target members of the Christian community. Left MPs John Brittas, P. Santosh Kumar, and Jose K. Mani, who have been actively raising the issue in Parliament, reiterated that while bail is a relief, the legal battle will continue until the fabricated FIR is quashed entirely.