When a 'child trafficking' case was filed in July 2018 against a Missionaries of Charity (MC) home in Ranchi, with a nun and two others arrested, it made international headlines while Indian media feasted on it with primetime discussions and banner headlines.

But when the trial court in Ranchi acquitted all three on June 18, including the MC nun, Concelia, in her 70s, not even the Jharkhand media reported it, let alone the national media, which dutifully follows the dictates of the Modi government.

Upright journalists were aghast at the coordinated national blackout of such sensational news in a country that claims to be democratic and has the motto 'Satyameva Jayate.' Unfortunately, when the truth came out, exposing the concerted lies, the forces behind the propaganda ensured that the news, unpleasant to them, would not appear in public.

Of course, the truth will come out, and the acquittal verdict in the sensational case has spilt into the public domain through committed faith-based news networks and social media. Nevertheless, this incident confirms the bitter reality of India's declining media freedom.

India's position in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders on May 3 – World Press Freedom Day, marked a drop of six places from 2025, when it was ranked 151st. Among the 180 countries ranked, those below India include Venezuela, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, China, and North Korea.

Look at how the case against the Missionaries of Charity was orchestrated by the administrative machinery at the command of the ruling BJP in Delhi and Jharkhand to tarnish the image of the congregation founded by Mother Teresa, which remains an icon of Christian compassion to the world.

On July 4, 2018, 62-year-old MC sister Concilia and two aides from the MC home for unwed mothers at Jail Road in Ranchi were arrested on the allegation by Rupa Verma, the chairwoman of the Child Welfare Committee for the Ranchi district, that the home had sold a 14-day-old infant boy to a couple.

The sensational news of 'child trafficking' immediately made worldwide headlines. A flurry of criticism followed after Maneka Gandhi, minister for Women and Child Welfare, tried to malign the MC congregation further by ordering an inspection of all MC homes with child care across the country.

On July 11, The Republic TV, known for publicising the Hindu nationalist agenda, alleged that the number of babies missing from the Missionaries of Charity home was as many as 280 and branded the congregation as a "multi-million corporation." However, three days later, the channel abandoned its hyperbolic earlier allegation and reported instead about "three babies sold."

But hardly any news networks reported that two infants died after the government took away 22 children, from infants to those below five years who were under nutritional care at the nearby MC Home at Hinoo, amid the 'trafficking' case against the MC Home at Jail Road.

Continuing the demonisation of the MC service, a video clip in which Sister Concilia apparently confesses to selling two babies, which was recorded by police under duress during questioning, went viral on social media. Although Jharkhand police have denied leaking it to the media, it was even publicised by India's premier TV wire agency ANI in its dispatch.

While MC superior and CBCI admitted a 'lapse' by the staff in the case, the 'child trafficking' allegation was blown up to tarnish the image of the church. This had to be seen against the backdrop of the political atmosphere in Jharkhand under BJP rule at the time, with church institutions receiving visits from investigation teams in the late evenings.

Amid such orchestrated propaganda, the Supreme Court also denied bail to the accused nun, who had been released on bail after 14 months by the Jharkhand High Court.

However, the final verdict of the Ranchi sessions court (not a civil court) offers hope that, even as the top judiciary of the country succumbs to the whims of the Modi government, there are honest and fearless judges in the lower courts to uphold the truth. Let their tribe flourish.

Sadly, wrong information went out on the excited Catholic social media, saying the nun was in jail for three years, based on a statement. This exaggeration hurt even Sister Concelia, and the Ranchi convent superior called the writer to ask news sites to publish the correct information. (The writer had visited these convents a few months ago as part of Mother Teresa documentary work.)

An appeal was sent out pointing out this error, but none have bothered to correct it. That is not a welcome trait. Anyone could make a mistake. But when the error is pointed out, even social media folks have a duty to correct it.