A day after holding the accused guilty, a special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala awarded the priest and a sister life with life imprisonment in the murder case of Sister Abhaya in 1992.
The court’s order came today after going through the report brought by the agency. It has also levied a fine of Rs.5 lakh on each of the convicts. Additional 7 years imprisonment has also been given to the two for destroying evidence.
The guilty have received the punishment in the 28 years old murder case of Sister Abhaya who got its own share of twists and turns with controversies stirring up the nation 3 decades back when the incident took place as the police termed it “suicide”, allegedly due to political references and influential power of the Catholic priest.
In the 1992 case, Father Thomas Kottoor, previously a Vicar who taught psychology to Sister Abhaya in Kottayam’s BCM College rose to become a Secretary and then a Bishop despite all the charges on him. The convict was further promoted to the post of the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese in Kottayam.
Sister Sephy, the second convict, lived in the hostel where Sister Abhaya resided. She was the de factor in-charge of the residential center.
After a long and thorough investigation, the CBI gathered enough evidence, and the court announced them both as guilty of murder and destruction of evidence with the Father also getting convicted of house-trespassing.
Jomon Puthenpurackal, the only member who remains alive in the panel of activists fighting to attain justice for Sister Abhaya seemed overjoyed with the verdict. He said, “Sister Abhaya’s case has finally got justice. She will rest in peace. This is a classic example of how no one should think that just because they have power – money and muscle power – they can de-rail justice.”
According to the CBI, the murder took place at around 4.30 am on the night of 27th March 1992 after Sister Abhaya walked onto intimate contact taking place between Kottoor, Sephy, and another Father Jose Poothrikkayil, in the kitchen where she came from her hostel room at 4.15 am.
In order to stop her from publicizing her deeds, the convicts hit Sister Abhaya with a blunt-ended object and later dumped her body inside a well of the convent’s premises to destroy proof.
The other father involved was, however, released by the special CBI court 2 years back while the petitions for Kottoor and Sephy were dismissed.
The police and Crime Branch officers initially termed the incident as “death by suicide”. Nevertheless, tons of protests and petitions later, the CBI was handed over the case. The court rejected the agency’s previous 3 reports stating the need for a more detailed probe.
The 3 accused were arrested by the CBI in 2008, 16 years after the crime.
The court denied accepting the incident as a suicide highlighting various events that did not direct to it. The dogs did not bark on that night, the kitchen door was closed from outside and none of the convent residents heard Sister Abhaya “falling” into the well, the court said.
