Kerala Nuns Get Bail In Chhattisgarh 'Conversion, Trafficking' Case
After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the NIA court found grounds to grant conditional bail
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, has granted conditional bail to Sister Sujata and Sister Anisha, two Catholic nuns from Kerala, along with Santosh Baghel, a tribal youth from Chhattisgarh. Their arrest had previously sparked controversy and allegations of political grandstanding, particularly surrounding issues of religious conversions and communal tensions in the region.
The trio was apprehended in mid-July following complaints of forced religious conversions among tribal communities in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. The case, filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), prompted outrage from Christian organisations and human rights activists, who argued that the arrests were baseless and politically motivated. Critics claimed that certain factions were exploiting controversial anti-conversion laws to target missionaries and tribal individuals.
After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the NIA court found grounds to grant conditional bail. Although the specific conditions were not immediately disclosed, they typically include restrictions such as not leaving the district without court permission, cooperating with the investigation, and avoiding tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses. The granting of bail indicates that the court did not find sufficient prima facie evidence to justify their continued incarceration for terror-related offences or recognised the potential for undue hardship due to the nature of the accusations.
Conditional bail was granted to three people in the case, defence lawyer Amrito Das confirmed, according to a report by PTI.
Speaking with the news agency, petitioner's advocate B Gopakumar said some bail conditions were also put up, including that, 'they will not be able to go abroad, they will have to surrender the passport, they should not influence the witness."
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