The evidence that nailed Sister Abhaya s killers 28 years later
On Tuesday, catholic priest Father Thomas Kottoor and nun Sister Sephy guilty were found guilty of murdering Sister Abhaya 28 years ago in the St Pius convent in Kerala s Kottayam.
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UPDATED: December 24, 2020 08:47 IST
Sister Abhaya was murdered in 1992 and the case has been going on for 28 years.
The 229-page judgment in the Sister Abhaya case has confirmed that the catholic nun was attacked with an intention to kill .
On Tuesday, catholic priest Father Thomas Kottoor and nun Sister Sephy guilty were found guilty of murdering Sister Abhaya 28 years ago in the St Pius convent in Kerala s Kottayam.
Sister Abhaya. (File photo)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI special court here, on Wednesday, awarded life sentence to Father Thomas Kottoor, and Sister Sephy, for the charges of murder of Sister Abhaya, 21, and subsequently destroying evidence.
On Tuesday, the CBI judge K Sanilkumar had found Father Thomas Kottoor, 71, guilty of charges of murder, destruction of evidence and criminal house trespass, and Sister Sephy, 57, guilty of murder and destruction of evidence.
Before delivering the sentence, the court heard the prosecution and the two convicts for one last time. The prosecution pleaded for capital punishment for the two convicts citing that it is perhaps the first time in history that a priest and nun were being convicted for the murder of another nun. The prosecutor also cited that the victim was a hapless novice, the accused were her superiors and they carried out systematic and comprehensive destruction of evidence.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI special court here, on Wednesday, awarded life sentence to Father Thomas Kottoor, and Sister Sephy, on charges of murder of Sister Abhaya, 21, in 1992 and subsequently destroying evidence.
On Tuesday, CBI judge K Sanilkumar had found Father Thomas Kottoor, 71, of Kottoor House, Kidangoor, Kottayam, guilty of charges of murder, destruction of evidence and criminal house trespass, and Sister Sephy, 57, of St Joseph Generalate, S H Mount, Kottayam, guilty of murder and destruction of evidence.
Before delivering the sentence, the court heard the prosecution and the two convicts for one last time. The prosecution pleaded for capital punishment for the two convicts citing that it is perhaps the first time in history that a priest and nun were being convicted for the murder of another nun. The prosecutor also cited that the victim was a hapless novice, the accused were her superiors and they carried out systematic and comprehensive destruction of evidence.
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It was on October 23, 2020 that a catholic priest and nun were punished with life imprisonment as they were held guilty of murdering sister Abhaya. The verdict came 28 years after committing the murder, and legal experts consider it a landmark case in the history of the Indian judiciary.
Sister AbhayaYouTube
Knanaya Catholic Church reacts to the verdict
On Tuesday, the court pronounced that Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy were held guilty of murder and destruction of the evidence. The priest who taught sister Abhaya psychology at BCM college Kottayam was also convicted of house trespassing during midnight.
A special CBI court in Kerala on Wednesday sentenced a Catholic priest and a nun who were found guilty of murdering Sister Abhaya, a teenaged nun, to life terms, ending a legal battle that dragged for close to three decades.
The court sentenced Father Thomas Kottoor, 73, to life in jail for murder and trespass to commit a punishable offence and another seven years for destroying evidence.
Sister Sephy, 57, was handed the life term for murder and another seven years in jail for destroying evidence.
Each of them was slapped with a penalty of Rs 5 lakh under IPC Section 302 (murder) and Rs 50,000 each under IPC Section 201 (destruction of evidence).