Shah directed to file new bail applications in the trial court and expressed confidence that bail would be granted within two days.
Published Jul 31, 2025 | 7:10 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2025 | 7:10 PM
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Kerala MPs that both the Central and Chhattisgarh governments will not oppose the bail plea of the nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh.
Synopsis: The Home Minister told the delegation of UDF and LDF MPs that the Sessions Court’s decision to transfer the case to the NIA court was legally flawed. He said the Chhattisgarh government would challenge the transfer in the High Court and move to bring the case back from the NIA court.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, 31 July, assured MPs from Kerala that neither the Centre nor the Chhattisgarh government would oppose the bail plea of two Malayali nuns arrested in the central Indian state.
Shah directed to file new bail applications in the trial court and expressed confidence that bail would be granted within two days.
The Home Minister also told the delegation of UDF and LDF MPs that the Sessions Court’s decision to transfer the case to the NIA court was legally flawed. He said the Chhattisgarh government would challenge the transfer in the High Court and move to bring the case back from the NIA court.
“There is no political interest in the case,” Shah told the MPs. He also indicated that once the bail is secured, steps would be taken to explore the possibility of quashing the case.
Speaking to South First, UDF Kottayam MP Francis George, who was part of the delegation, confirmed Shah’s assurances.
Kerala MPs, including Francis George and NK Premachandran, addressing the media.
“He made it clear that both governments will not oppose the bail application. He said they know the nuns are innocent, but it’s unfortunate that events unfolded this way. Despite some unwanted remarks by George Kurien and other BJP leaders, our meeting with Amit Shah gave us hope,” he said.
Francis George added that while the delegation is hopeful the nuns will be released soon, another meeting with the Home Minister may be required to push for the quashing of the case.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, MP NK Premachandran said that both the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government have now adopted a sympathetic stance towards the nuns and would jointly manage the legal process.
He criticised the Sessions Court’s decision as unlawful, asserting that it had no authority to unilaterally transfer the case to the NIA. He said that both the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government would actively pursue legal measures to ensure their release.
Premachandran added that Shah’s response during the discussion reflected his belief that the nuns were innocent.
Meanwhile, Left party MPs submitted a letter to the Union Home minister, seeking his urgent intervention in the continued judicial custody of the nuns and calling for swift action to ensure their release.
Union Minister George Kurien sparked a controversy by calling the bail plea for the arrested Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh a mistake, claiming it was premature. He grew agitated when asked if seeking bail implied guilt and avoided questions on whether the BJP was misleading Kerala Christians.
He also claimed that Chhattisgarh Congress MPs stayed silent because they knew the case’s ”real facts.”
Despite earlier discussions between Kerala BJP state general secretary Anoop Antony and Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, the Chhattisgarh government made its position clear, escalating the political strain faced by the Kerala BJP.
When the bail plea of the arrested Malayali nuns came up before the Sessions Court, the prosecution supported the Bajrang Dal’s stance against granting bail.
The prosecution also backed the Bajrang Dal counsel’s argument that the Sessions Court was not the appropriate forum to hear the case.
The Bajrang Dal lawyer had warned that granting bail could lead to further religious conversions and potential communal unrest. He had also demanded a more thorough investigation into the matter.
Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeta Mary of the Order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate were arrested at Chhattigarh’s Durg railway station on 25 July after pro-Hindu Bajrang Dal activists accused them of attempting to take away three women, including a tribal, to Agra for “forced conversion to Christianity”.
Besides the nuns, a tribesman, identified as Sukaman Mandavi was also arrested. They have been charged with Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for trafficking and under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of ₹2 lakh.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
