By Matters India Reporter
Ranchi, June 19, 2026: The Jharkhand High Court has acquitted Sister Concilia of the Missionaries of Charity and two co defendants, clearing them of all charges in the high profile 2018 Ranchi child trafficking case.
The verdict, delivered after nearly eight years of legal proceedings, brought closure to a prolonged ordeal for the nun and the congregation founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
Investigative journalist Anto Akkara noted in a social media post that “the court verdict has not received much traction in the mainstream media.”
Salesian Father C.M. Paul, former editor of The Herald in Kolkata, condemned misinformation surrounding the case, calling it “many myths, distorted information, false news, and baseless innuendos” that unfairly maligned the sisters.
The case stemmed from allegations that a 14 day old infant had been sold for ₹50,000 from a Missionaries of Charity shelter home in Ranchi. Sister Concilia was arrested amid intense media scrutiny and spent three years in prison before being granted bail.
Reacting to the verdict, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Daltonganj, former secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, described the judgment as a triumph of perseverance and faith.
“This has taken eight years to get cleared,” Bishop Mascarenhas said. “Today, after years of suffering, prayer and perseverance, truth has prevailed.”
He recalled that securing bail itself had been a lengthy struggle.
“It took us three years to get bail for her,” he noted, adding that he had personally accompanied the legal process together with Missionaries of Charity Sister Sebastino and other supporters.
The allegations had wide repercussions for the congregation’s ministry. Following the arrests, authorities closed another Missionaries of Charity home in Hinoo that housed 24 infants, while several other institutions across Jharkhand reportedly faced investigations and harassment.
“The police had widely publicized the allegations, and the repercussions were felt in almost every house run by the Missionaries of Charity,” Bishop Mascarenhas observed.
Despite these challenges, the sisters continued their ministry among the poor, abandoned, and vulnerable, even as the case remained pending in the courts.
In a statement after the verdict, Bishop Mascarenhas expressed gratitude to God and thanked advocate Sunil Shrivastava, advocate Anil Kant, Sister Sebastino, Vepul Kaiser, members of the legal team, and numerous well-wishers who stood by the sisters throughout the prolonged legal battle.
He also acknowledged the leadership of Sister Prema, then superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, and Sister Joseph, the present superior general, for guiding the congregation through years of uncertainty and public criticism.
Church leaders welcomed the ruling as a significant moment of vindication for the Missionaries of Charity, saying it restores confidence in the congregation’s longstanding commitment to serving society’s most vulnerable.
For Sister Concilia and her congregation, the verdict marks not only the end of a difficult chapter but also a reaffirmation of faith in justice after years of trial and endurance.
(Photo: Released to Public, Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files)