No criminal intention made out against Mother Teresa's charity, says ex-vice chief NMC; demands judicial probe

Counterview Desk
In sharp defence of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand, Dr Abraham Mathai, former vice chairman of the National Minorities Commission (NMC), has said that it is being "falsely accused of child trafficking", as alleged by the state police. Even as the Roman Catholic Church has come out in its support following the arrest of a nun and an employee, saying that nun is "innocent", and her confession was extracted under pressure, Dr Mathai insists that "no criminal intention is made out, hence the FIR appears motivated."
Demanding judicial for fair investigation, Dr Mithai says that "if the Missionaries of Charity are guilty, punish them, but if not, do not hound them."

Text of Dr Mithai's statement:

The case in question is the ridiculous taunt by the media as ‘trafficking’, is actually about a childless couple from UP having paid 1.20 lakh for the child. Facts emerging from the investigation so far is that the maid working for the Missionaries of Charity pocketed Rs 20,000, the watchman Rs 10,000 and the unwed biological mother of the child Rs 90,000 to pursue her studies!
Where is the criminality and the criminal intentions of the nuns of the Missionaries of Charity in all this? The worst maximum charge against them is that they should be reprimanded for administrative lapse for not being vigilant enough.
Does the media know that the Government of India permits charging of Rs 40,000 as fee for an adoption in India and 5,000 US Dollars for a foreign adoption? Despite these rules permitting them to charge, the Missionaries of Charity have not charged a rupee from anyone at any of their adoption centres in the country so far as it goes against their very values and ethos.
In the Mumbai centre alone they have given over 7,500 children for adoption in the last few decades but not a single rupee has been collected. And today for the past 10 days they have been falsely accused of "child trafficking”.

Abraham Mathai

Additionally, the word trafficking does not fit into this context, since the children have not been sold for exploitation in any way, but only as a facilitation for adoption by the Missionaries of Charity. At the most, the sisters are probably guilty of naivety and for over-trusting the people they employed, and nothing more, neither in criminal law, nor otherwise. Hence it is absolutely ridiculous and shameful to falsely charge the nuns of the Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand with child trafficking an act which negates their raison d’être.
It is a settled rule of criminal law that no statement given to a police officer can be used in a court of law except when such statements are given in the presence of a magistrate. In the present instance, the police are doing everything they can to garner media attention and create an atmosphere of hatred and even releasing confessions made in Police custody to select TV channels.
It is ironic that in today’s media-driven world, confessions that have no sanctity of law are being aired on media channels. It is no secret that in the case involving a high profile school in Gurgaon, where a student was murdered, the driver was arrested and his statement in police custody was used to brand him guilty of murder only for the police to retract and eat humble pie later.
In the present circumstances, the police is playing to the gallery, and in order to satisfy the media is baying for their blood. However, any prudent person will see that the local state police is not fit to investigate the matter. A judicial probe is needed in the present case to further the cause of justice.
If time proves that the Missionaries of Charity are not guilty, will there be any action against the police and the conspirators ?
Hence this is a very big blot to the conscience of the nation when baseless and false criminal charges are used as an excuse to accuse and arrest the nuns for committing an act which is clearly against the moral and ethical convictions of the Missionaries of Charity. Their service to the nation is well known through their facilities around the country and worldwide.
The Missionaries of Charity is no doubt recognised locally and internationally as the epitome of providing solace and comfort to suffering humanity, resulting in Mother Teresa honoured with the Nobel Prize for her purely altruistic and benevolent humanitarian acts.

It is highly grievous to witness such a multitude of injustice that is being inflicted on those nuns of our nation who had sought an oath in life to serve humanity. These are those very people we are accusing of trafficking who have genuinely and sacrificially dedicated their heart and soul into leading a benevolent and a compassionate life for our children, for us and for our nation. It is unimaginable to accuse them of something heinous like trafficking of children and babies.

They have devoted their life to save the downtrodden sections of our society notably lepers and the marginalised which our very own society ostracise on many social levels. Instead of encouraging these voluntary organisations to holistically carry forth their solicitous and considerate pursuits: We have been falsely accusing them of committing despicable acts which indeed is detrimental to our society’s larger welfare and interests.
It is a shame that these selfless wonderful human beings who are here to serve humanity are under the radar of false accusations and allegations. These are those nuns who have dedicated their entire life to the utmost welfare of the lesser privileged of our nation yet we as a society have failed to recognise their sacrifices, their compassion and their humane demeanour.
All I intend to ask everyone who seeks to believe in such allegations: Is this what philanthropic and altruistic people of our nation deserve in return for their humanitarian perspectives and endeavours? These accusations are not a question on their morality, but these are questions for us, on our collective conscience as a society and nation who have failed to recognise the simplicity of their benevolent outlook and life.
The judiciary should therefore immediately take suo moto cognisance of the matter to safeguard the nuns from victimisation engineered by malicious motives to bring the admirable work of Missionaries of Charity to shame and disrepute both at home and abroad.

Comments

The silencing of conscience: Ideological attacks on India’s judiciary and free thought

By Sunil Kumar* “Volunteers will pick up sticks to remove every obstacle that comes in the way of Sanatan and saints’ work.” — RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (November 6, 2024, Chitrakoot) Eleven months later, on October 6, 2025, a man who threw a shoe inside the Supreme Court shouted, “India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan.” This incident was not an isolated act but a continuation of a pattern seen over the past decade—attacks on intellectuals, writers, activists, and journalists, sometimes in the name of institutions, sometimes by individual actors or organizations.

Citizens’ group to recall Justice Chagla’s alarm as India faces ‘undeclared' Emergency

By A Representative In a move likely to raise eyebrows among the powers-that-be, a voluntary organisation founded during the “dark days” of the Indira Gandhi -imposed Emergency has announced that it will hold a public conference in Ahmedabad to highlight what its office-bearers call today’s “undeclared Emergency.”

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

World Bank arm accused of hiding crucial report on Gujarat’s Tata Mundra power project

By A Representative The Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has accused the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the accountability arm of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), of concealing crucial evidence related to the Tata Mundra coal power project in Gujarat during the period when the case was being heard in U.S. courts. In a press statement released on October 10, 2025, CFA said that the CAO’s final monitoring report, which was completed in 2019 but released only in September 2025, revealed that IFC had failed to take remedial action for years, even as environmental and livelihood harms to local communities worsened.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

When communities lead: The story of Puttenahalli lake restoration in Bengaluru

By Alejandra Amor, Mansee Bal Bhargava The tropical Indian ecology pushed communities to develop the art and science of rainwater collection since antiquity. Traditionally, harvesting rainwater through ponds, lakes, and wetlands formed an integral part of a holistic water system that included rivers, canals, wells, aquifers, and springs. These decentralized systems sustained irrigation, livestock, and domestic needs in rural areas, supported by generations of community water management practices embedded in both utilitarian and ritualistic values.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Search This Blog