CBI Rules Out Forced Conversion in 2022 Michaelpatti Student Death Case

New Delhi, February 20, 2026: Acting on directions issued by the Supreme Court in November last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday submitted a status report stating that its investigation into the 2022 suicide of Class 12 student Lavanya at Michaelpatti in Thanjavur district found “no evidence of attempts to force religious conversion.”

Placing its findings before a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, the agency said, “The allegations of attempts to convert her to Christianity at the missionary-run Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School could not be substantiated. The harassment by the hostel warden led to the suicide.”

After the student’s death in 2022, the case triggered a nationwide debate, with some political leaders claiming she had been pressured to convert to Christianity—an allegation earlier dismissed by the state police.

The CBI submitted its status report along with the chargesheet in the matter. According to the chargesheet filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, “Allegations pertaining to attempts at conversion by the convent sisters and teachers of Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Michaelpatti, could not be established.”

The agency noted that in her video statement, the student—who was residing in the school hostel—spoke only about the harassment she allegedly faced from Sister Sagaya Mary, the hostel warden.

As per the CBI, the warden repeatedly subjected the girl to mental pressure by assigning her hostel accounts work, which adversely impacted her studies. “Faced with sustained harassment and exploitation, the girl took the extreme step,” the agency stated.

The CBI has held Sagaya Mary responsible for offences under Section 305 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

It may be recalled that the Madras High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI in 2022, observing that the conversion angle was not improbable and criticising the state for ruling it out. The state government later challenged this order in the Supreme Court of India, which declined to stay the CBI probe.

By Catholic Connect Reporter