Father Thomas Kottoor, the lead defendant in the Abhaya murder case, was removed from the CBI court premises after he was granted a double life sentence and a fine of Rs 6.5 lakhs, in Thiruvananthapuram, El Wednesday, December 23, 2020 (PTI).
Thiruvananthapuram: A special IWC court in Thiruvananthapuram sentenced Catholic priest Thomas M Kottoor and the nun, Mr Sephy, to life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Abhaya that took place 28 years ago.
The 21-year-old nun was found dead in the well of the St. Pio convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on the duo. They will also face seven years in jail for destroying evidence.
The court had found the Catholic priest of Knanaya and the nun, who were the first and third accused respectively, of murder guilty of murder.
The second accused, Fr. José Poothrikkayil, was released from the case earlier. However, the CBI has decided to appeal against his discharge.
The CBI had argued that Abhaya, an undergraduate sophomore at Kottayam BCM College, was eliminated after witnessing the illicit relationship between the defendants. While Thomas Kottor has been found guilty of murder and burglary, Sister Stephy was found guilty of murder.
Kerala police, who investigated the case shortly after the tragic incident in 1992, concluded that it was a case of death by suicide.
The CBI findings say that on the day she was found dead, Abhaya had gone to the kitchen to get water to drink. At that moment he saw the priest and the nun in a compromising position. The defendant attacked her with an ax. Later his body was thrown into the well inside the candidate.
It was a statement given by a little thief Raju alias Adayka Raju that became a turning point in the case. He told the court that he had entered the convent with the intention of committing a robbery at dawn. But he was surprised to see two priests inside the campus facilities.
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