A special court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday granted conditional bail to three people, including two Catholic nuns from Kerala, who were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. The court, led by Principal District and Sessions Judge Sirajuddin Qureshi, set bail conditions requiring the three to surrender their passports, provide a bond of Rs 50,000 each, and submit two sureties.
The three accused—Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis from Kerala, and Sukaman Mandavi—were arrested on July 25 at Durg railway station after a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal leader. The complaint accused them of trafficking three girls from Narayanpur and trying to convert them forcibly.
Defence lawyer Amrito Das told reporters that the court had reserved its decision after a hearing on Friday and that the prosecution did not ask for police custody for further questioning. He also confirmed that the alleged victims had already been returned to their homes.
