A sessions court in Durg, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday ruled it lacked jurisdiction to hear the bail applications of two Kerala-based nuns—Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis—who were arrested under charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion.
The court directed that the matter be moved to the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) designated bench at the Bilaspur High Court, marking a significant legal turn in a case that has rapidly grown into a national political and human rights flashpoint.
Legal Complexity and Jurisdiction Shift
The bail petitions were disposed of on procedural grounds, with the court stating it could not hear cases involving Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—which pertains to human trafficking—and advised the petitioners to approach a designated NIA court for relief. The court also granted the police 15 days to write to the central government requesting the transfer of the case to the NIA jurisdiction.
Lawyer Rajkumar Tiwari, who was present in court, confirmed that “only a special court under the NIA Act can adjudicate such matters.”
Background of the Case
On July 18, the two nuns and a third individual, Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested at Durg Railway Station by the Government Railway Police (GRP) based on a complaint filed by a local Bajrang Dal worker. The FIR alleges that the trio was involved in forcibly converting three women from Narayanpur district and attempting to traffic them out of the state.
However, families of the three women have categorically denied any wrongdoing, stating that the women were adults and had left voluntarily for work-related reasons. The nuns’ legal counsel, Tamaskar Tondon, criticized the FIR as “baseless and filed under political pressure,” citing a complete lack of preliminary inquiry.
“This FIR was registered solely on suspicion. No evidence of coercion or trafficking was found. All the women involved are adults whose families raised no objections,” said Tondon.
Political Firestorm
The arrests have triggered widespread outrage from political and religious leaders, especially in Kerala and Delhi, and have become symbolic of what many view as a growing pattern of persecution against minorities under BJP-ruled states.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protesting in the Parliament complex alongside MPs from Kerala, condemned the treatment of the nuns:
“These are women; they were manhandled and wrongly accused. This is not fair. This is an atrocity against minorities. The government only cares about image management, not justice,” she said.
She further accused the central government of being selective in its actions, only reacting when its PR narrative is at risk during elections.
CPI(M), Congress, and Civil Society React
Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who attempted to meet the nuns in Durg Central Jail, criticized the case as a clear instance of targeted harassment.
“This is not a religious issue—it’s a women’s rights issue. The women are adults and don’t need permission to go anywhere for work. The case lacks legal merit,” she said.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel echoed this sentiment, describing the arrests as “politics of polarisation”. He accused the BJP of weaponizing religion to target minorities for electoral gain, especially in states under their control.
“Our general secretary has already written to PM Modi and the current CM. This is a deliberate campaign of intimidation,” Baghel said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
BJP Pushes Back
In a counterstatement, BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar rejected the narrative of religious persecution and suggested that the case needed further verification before conclusions were drawn.
“The accusations are serious, but it’s too early to say anything. Let’s investigate who made these claims and why,” he told reporters.