In a 28-year-old case involving the murder of a Catholic nun in Kottayam, an IWC court in Thiruvananthapuram found two defendants guilty Tuesday, the priest Thomas Kottoor and the nun Sister Sefi. The punishment for the duo in the longest-running investigation will be pronounced by CBI special court judge K Sanal Kumar on Wednesday.
Kottoor, 71, a scholar in moral theology, is the first defendant and Sefi, 57, is the third defendant in the case.
The state police had initially concluded that the 19-year-old nun, Sister Abhaya, a student at BCM College Kottayam and a member of the Knanaya Catholic community, died by suicide on March 27, 1992. This was when she walked from the room from his kitchen around 4.15 AM.
The case was turned over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after protests led by activist Jomon Puthanpurakkal, whose campaign sought justice for the nun while the church supported the accused. The Knanaya Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam is an eparchy of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church for Knanaya Catholics.
In the first of its three reports on the case, the IWC said that the nun’s death was a case of “homicidal suicide.” But the CBI court rejected the report and ordered a new investigation. In its second report, the agency said it could not establish beyond doubt whether it was a suicide or a murder.
In its last report presented in 2008, the CBI said that it was a murder case and arrested Kottoor, José Poothrukayil (another priest) and Sefi. Kottoor taught psychology to Sister Abhaya at BCM College in Kottayam and was also secretary to the then bishop. Later he became chancellor of the Catholic diocese in Kottayam.
The IWC accused the trio of murdering the nun, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. José Poothrukayil was exonerated last year after the court found no evidence against him.
“My son received justice. I say this by standing in the place of Sister Abhaya’s father. I was offered millions of rupees. I have not taken any amount. I lived happily with my family on three cents of land,” Adakka Raju said. a thief turned witness.
Raju, who had entered the convent grounds allegedly to steal copper wire when the nun was killed, became the main witness, as several of the 177 witnesses have died or turned hostile during the 28 years and nine months.
Raju told CBI that he saw two priests and a nun in the convent at the time of the nun’s death. He told the media on Monday that he was promised “many things” to “acknowledge” the crime or change his witness statement.
According to the CBI charge sheet, the murdered nun had witnessed “some sexual activity” and was killed because they feared she might reveal the scene. He said that the accused allegedly struck Sister Abhaya with a blunt object and then threw her into the well between 4:15 am and 5 am on March 27, 1992.
DySP Varghese P Thomas, who investigated the case, resigned from CBI claiming that he was under immense pressure from his superiors to conclude that it was a suicide. According to him, the nun was hit by a blunt object on the head. “The verdict was delayed due to the intervention of the Church and politicians,” he told the media on Tuesday.
A chronology of the murder case of Sister Abhaya:
March 27, 1992: The body of Sister Abhaya, daughter of Kottayam Arikkara Ikkarakkunnel Thomas and Leelamma found in a well of the Saint Pious X Convent in Kottayam.
March 31, 1992: An action council was formed, with Kottayam municipal president PC Cherian Madukkani as chairman and Jomon Puthenpurakkal as convener, claiming that the local police had tried to label it a suicide by undermining the investigation of the case.
January 30, 1993: The Kerala Police Crimes Section closed the investigation and submitted a report to the Kottayam RDO.
March 23, 1993: The case was handed over to CBI after human rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackal brought the matter to court.
September 1996: CBI concludes in its first report that the case was a suicide. The court rejects his report and requests a new investigation.
March 1997: CBI in its second report says the case was a homicide, not a suicide. The court again rejects its findings. CBI launches a new investigation.
2007: CBI SP Nandakumar Nair took over the investigation and the case gains momentum
December 2008: CBI tells a court in Ernakulam in its third report that it was a murder and arrests three defendants. Two Catholic priests, Father Thomas Kottoor and Father José Poothrukayil, and a nun, Sister Sefi, were charged with murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and other charges. According to the charge sheet, Abhaya was killed because she witnessed some “alleged sexual activity” involving priests and a nun. She was attacked with an ax before being thrown into the well, according to the agency.
2008: Sefi filed a complaint against the CBI saying she was forced to undergo a virginity test without her consent. According to CBI, Sefi had undergone a ‘hymenoplasty’, a surgical procedure to prove that she was a virgin. Later, the court rejected his statement.
January 2009: All the defendants were granted bail after spending six months in jail.
July 17, 2009: CBI files charges sheet in case against defendant. The release statement for three files.
September 14, 2009: Narco-evidence tapes broadcast on regional television channels showed José Poothrikkayil, Thomas M Kottur and Sefi revealing what happened the night of the murder in a state of truth serum-induced sedation.
March 7, 2018: The courts acquitted José Poothrukayil for lack of evidence.
August 26, 2019: A trial in the case begins after 27 years. Many witnesses turn hostile.
September 19, 2019: CBI witnessed Thresiama George, a retired professor, who had taught Abhaya at the university. She brings serious charges against the main defendant Thomas Kottoor.
December 21, 2020: The CBI special court finds the priest and nun guilty.
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