Kerala nuns' arrest: NIA Court to decide on bail plea tomorrow

Chhattisgarh/Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (IANS) The NIA Court in Bilaspur, after hearing both sides on the bail application moved by the two arrested Kerala nuns, posted the matter for Saturday.

The counsel appearing for the two nuns said the case was heard in detail by the court as both sides presented their part.

“The case diary was asked for by the court, and it was produced by the police. The prosecution, as always, did their job, but they have informed the court that the three ladies are not minors. We presented our part and said the allegations levelled against our parties are totally baseless, and the FIR itself states that the allegations are based on apprehensions only. We are hoping for the best when the orders come, which might happen on Saturday,” said the counsel.

Ahead of the hearing, there was hectic activity in Kerala and also in Delhi. In Delhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also Home Minister Amit Shah, while Kerala State BJP president and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar met with Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), to discuss the issue at Kochi.

Archbishop Thazhath said the Church had conveyed its deep concern over the continued detention of the two nuns, who, he asserted, had done nothing wrong.

“One of the nuns has been working in the region for over three decades, primarily serving leprosy patients. Their arrest has shocked us. We have urged Rajeev Chandrasekhar to ensure their immediate release,” Thazhath told reporters.

He added that Chandrasekhar was the first political leader to reach out to the Church following the arrests, and that Congress leaders had also visited and expressed solidarity.

“We seek only justice. After today’s meeting, we are hopeful, especially since Rajeev conveyed that both Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are aware of the matter and have assured support. We also raised concerns about the increasing insecurity faced by our missionaries working outside Kerala,” he said.

Speaking to the media later, Chandrasekhar said that both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister had assured him “two days ago” that justice would be served.

“It’s now clear that the Chhattisgarh government will not oppose the bail plea. This is a legal matter and should be allowed to follow due process. Some are trying to politicise it, but that’s not necessary,” he said.

He added that the BJP was extending help not for political gain but out of principle. “There has clearly been a misunderstanding. It must be noted, however, that issues like conversion and trafficking are sensitive.”

Chandrasekhar left for Delhi soon after the meeting, reportedly to follow up with Amit Shah and other senior leaders to expedite a resolution.

On Friday, five Congress MPs — Kodikunnil Suresh, Anto Antony, Hibi Eden, Rajmohan Unnithan and Dean Kuriakose — arrived in the state, joined by two former CPI(M) MPs from Kerala, P.K. Sreemathi and C.S. Sujatha.

Both delegations met and spoke to the arrested nuns. The two arrested, Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, belong to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation under the Syro-Malabar Church in Alappuzha district.

They had been working at a hospital in Agra.

On July 26, while accompanying three women from Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district to Agra for jobs as kitchen helpers in a convent, the nuns and a man named Sukhman Mandavi were intercepted at a railway station by Bajrang Dal activists.

Based on their complaint, the police arrested the nuns on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion.

A local court subsequently remanded them to judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the Kerala unit of the CPI-M will organise state-wide protests on Sunday and Monday across the 140 Assembly constituencies on the Sangh Parivar agenda of targeting the minority communities.

--IANS

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