PALAKKAD: Sumathi, the mother of Soumya, was all tears after the Supreme Court upheld a life term for Govindachami, and said that only a death sentence would ensure justice for her daughter. She came to know about the sentence and of the Supreme court acquitting the accused Govindachami of the murder charge from TV news channels.
She said that the verdict was a heart-breaking event and saddened her more than the killing of Soumya. She pointed to the fact that Govindachami’s hair was found within Soumya’s fingernails and wondered how this fact was glossed over by the court.“My mother has been lying in the room of the house at Kavalapara near Shoranur from the time she was informed about the Supreme Court verdict. She has been wailing throughout and it is difficult for her to digest the verdict,” a teary-eyed Santhosh, the brother of Soumya, told Express.
Santhosh, whose voice was breaking down while talking, said that no other girl should experience the fate of his sister. Sumathi said that she would strive to fight for justice for her daughter as long as she lived. She said that this verdict will only help create numerous other “Soumyas” in the society. “I will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the coming days,” Sumathi said.
She said that if the special public prosecutor who had argued the case in the trial court and the High court were appointed to argue the case in the Supreme court, such a verdict would not have happened. “No one informed me on the progress of the case in the Supreme court. I came to know of the verdict from the television channels,” she said. “The appointment of a new special public prosecutor altered the proceedings of the case. It appears that the prosecutor had not studied the case in detail. The Government also did not take the expected interest. When the case was in the trial court and High court, the Kerala police and the special public prosecutor had intervened effectively,” she added.
ADGP B Sandhya called Sumathi over the phone and consoled her. Sumathi said that Sandhya had promised her all support in further pursuing the case. The ADGP also directed that two police personnel be posed at the Karakkad house of Sumathi.Both the Youth Congress and the Yuva Morcha carried out separate processions to the Karakkad house of Sumathi blaming the Government for the lapses in arguing the case effectively. The Youth Congress activists also burnt the effigy of Advocate B A Alloor, the advocate, who argued for Govindachami in the Supreme Court.