THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After 28 years, justice finally prevailed in the Sister Abhaya murder case with the special CBI court here pronouncing Fr Thomas Kottoor and Sr Sephy guilty. Special court judge K Sanil Kumar will announce the sentence on Wednesday.In a case that has been eagerly watched by the entire country, the court on Tuesday took less than five minutes to pronounce its verdict.
Apart from murder (IPC 302), the two were also found guilty of destroying evidence (IPC 201) while Kottoor had another charge of house trespassing (IPC 449) proven against him. Kottoor and Sephy were taken for medical examination after which they were shifted to Poojappura Central Prison and Attakkulangara Women’s Prison, respectively.
When the verdict was read out, Sephy broke down and had to be consoled by fellow nuns while Kottoor stood straight-faced. Later, Kottoor told the press that he was innocent and added that he was not afraid as God was with him.
Abhaya, a 19-year-old Knanaya Catholic nun and member of the St Joseph’s Congregation, was found dead in the well of Pius X Convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992. The local police and the Crime Branch had termed the death as suicide, but the probe headed by then CBI Kochi unit DSP Nandakumar Nair revealed that it was a cold-blooded murder.
The CBI finding was that Abhaya had gone to the kitchen of the convent for fetching water and happened to see Fr Kottoor, Fr Jose Poothrikkayil and Sr Sephy in a compromising position.
Fearing for their reputation, Sephy bludgeoned Abhaya with an axe and threw her into the well with the help of the two priests. It's this CBI charge that has now got the court’s stamp of approval. The CBI court had earlier discharged Jose for want of evidence.Hailing the verdict, prosecutor M Navas said justice has been done to Abhaya. "There is no better way to describe the judgment," he said.
'There was solid evidence'
Terming the trial as exhausting, Navas said the defence lawyers tried to give currency to the argument that Abhaya had mental issues and she committed suicide. "But there was solid evidence to disprove their claim. Had she committed suicide, then her pair of slippers should have been lying near the well. But that was not the case. One was in the kitchen and the other was lying in work area. The kitchen was in a state of disarray as the fridge door was slightly open and a bottle was lying on the ground. Abhaya’s head scarf was also found near the kitchen door," he said.