Thrissur court acquits two nuns in human trafficking case

The court of Additional Sessions Judge K. Kamanees has acquitted two nuns who were facing charges in a human trafficking case.

The case, filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 370 related to trafficking of persons, failed to stand legal scrutiny due to lack of evidence.

The case originated from a complaint in which the petitioner claimed to have seen three young girls alighting from the Dhanbad-Alleppey Express at the Thrissur railway station. She alleged that some nuns from local convents were present. The petitioner claimed the girls had been brought under the pretext of employment as domestic workers.

The prosecution had charged the nuns under Sections 370(1), 370(2), and 370(5) of the IPC, which pertain to human trafficking, along with Section 34, which addresses acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention. Section 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act was also considered in the allegations.

No proof for coercion

However, Judge K. Kamanees observed that the evidence did not support the charges. The court found that the girls were brought from their villages with the full consent of their parents and also in accordance with the girls’ own wishes. No evidence of coercion, exploitation—sexual or otherwise—or forced labour was presented during the trial.

“There is absolutely no indication that the girls were kept in bondage, subjected to hazardous work, or misled in any manner,” the court noted. Furthermore, none of the witnesses testified to any instance of abuse, abduction, or deception. The judge also pointed out that there were no signs of any situation akin to slavery or servitude.

Citing the lack of a prima facie case, the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges under any of the alleged sections. The accused were formally discharged of the offences and their bail bonds were cancelled, setting them at liberty.