Chhattisgarh court grants bail to two Kerala nuns in human trafficking-conversion case
Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA court) Sirajuddin Qureshi had reserved the order on their bail pleas after a hearing on Friday.
The court has granted conditional bail to the trio, defence lawyer Amrito Das said.
Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis were taken into custody by Government Railway Police (GRP) on 25 July, following a complaint.
The complaint alleged that the nuns were attempting to traffic and convert three tribal women from Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district under the guise of offering them employment.
Sessions court refused to hear plea
Earlier this week, a sessions court in Durg dismissed their bail petitions, stating it had no jurisdiction under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to human trafficking.
The court directed the accused to approach the designated NIA court in Bilaspur instead.
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