Jharkhand baby trafficking case that put Missionaries of Charity beneath scrutiny ends in acquittal | India Information
2 min learnRanchiJun 20, 2026 06:14 PM IST
Eight years after their arrest in a baby trafficking case that drew nationwide consideration, a Ranchi courtroom earlier this week acquitted two Adivasi ladies, together with a nun related to the Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charity (MoC).
Sister Concilia Baxla and Anima Indwar have been arrested in 2018 after the state-run Little one Welfare Committee (CWC) alleged {that a} new child born to an unwed mom had been bought to some from Uttar Pradesh via a shelter dwelling run by the Mom Teresa-founded congregation.
Their acquittal on June 18 ended a protracted authorized battle that, in keeping with the defence, left deep psychological scars on each ladies.
Baxla is an Adivasi nun related to the congregation, whereas Indwar, additionally an Adivasi, labored part-time as a sanitation employee at Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital and assisted with the organisation’s welfare actions.
Defence counsel Anil Kanth denied the allegations, describing the case as politically motivated.
“The sisters have been so harassed and tortured by your entire course of that they’ve misplaced religion in individuals,” he stated.
Kanth stated each ladies suffered extreme emotional setbacks through the proceedings. Baxla’s well being deteriorated considerably and she or he developed memory-related issues, whereas Indwar spent years battling the allegations and the social stigma hooked up to them.
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The case additionally disrupted a number of welfare actions run by the congregation, he stated.
“Many programmes that supplied shelter and help to susceptible ladies and kids have been affected within the aftermath of the arrests, with some companies ultimately being scaled down or discontinued,” he stated.
The 2018 allegations triggered a backlash and intensified scrutiny of MoC’s child-care and shelter companies. For its half, Missionaries of Charity had stated it was “shocked”.
Following the controversy, then Union Minister Maneka Gandhi directed state governments to make sure that all child-care establishments have been registered and linked to the Central Adoption Useful resource Authority (CARA) inside a month.
