Sister Abhaya Murder Case: Special CBI Court Sentences Father Thomas Kottoor And Sister Sephy to Life Imprisonment

Thiruvananthapuram, December 23: A special CBI court on Wednesday sentenced Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy to life imprisonment in case Sister Abhaya murder case. On Tuesday, the special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram found both the accused guilty in the case pertaining to the murder of 19-year-old Sister Abhaya in 1992. 1992 Sister Abhaya Murder Case: After 28 Years, CBI Court Verdict Awaited in 'Murder' Case Today.

The court also fined the priest and the nun Rs 6.50 lakh and fine of Rs 5.50 lakh respectively. Soon after the CBI court on Tuesday found him guilty in the murder case, prime accused Thomas M Kottur, a Catholic priest, pleaded innocence. Another co-accused and Catholic priest Jose Poothrikkayil was discharged in the case by the court in 2018.  Judge K Sanalkumar had reserved the pronouncement of quantum of punishment to the two convicts in the 28-year-old case for Wednesday.

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Those arrested in the case included Poothrikkayil, a former Malayalam professor at the Kottayam college where Abhaya studied; Kottur, the Diocesan chancellor of the Catholic church at Kottayam; and Steffi, a resident of the convent when the incident took place. The CBI has since decided to go in for appeal in the Supreme Court against the discharge of Poothrikkayil without facing trial.

Abhaya, an inmate of Pius X convent in Kottayam, was found dead in a well at the convent on March 27, 1992. Initially, both the state Crime Branch and the CBI dismissed it as a "suicide", but public activist Joemon Puthenpurackal formed an Acton Council and doggedly pursued the case. CBI officials cracked the case on November 19, 2008.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2020 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).