Kerala priest, nun sentenced to life imprisonment: Sister Abhaya Murder

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24: The Special CBI Court sentenced Father Thomas M Kottoor and Sister Sephy to life imprisonment for murdering 19-year-old Sister Abhaya in 1992. Sister Abhaya's body was found in a well at Pious X Convent of the Knanaya Catholic order in Kottayam in March 1992.

The CBI Special Court had also found the pastor and the nun guilty of destruction of evidence under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC.

The CBI Special Court judge Sanal Kumar handed over a second life imprisonment to Fr. Kottor for house-trespass to murder under section 449 IPC. Both life sentences would run concurrently, the court order said. Besides the accused were fined Rs. 5 lakh each.

The CBI counsel had argued for a capital punishment for the accused as the case fell in the ‘rarest of the rare’ category. The accused pleaded for clemency on the health ground. Sister Sephy said that she had aged parents to look after and support on her meager stipend as a nun.

The case continued for nearly 29 years due various reasons and finally reached its trial stage in August 2019. The CBI maintained that the accused murdered Sister Abhaya after she found them in objectionable circumstances when she went to collect drinking water from the convent’s kitchen on March 27, 1992.

Surprised by her unexpected appearance, Sister Sephy hit her on the head with an axe and dumped her body in a well in the convent premise and made it appear a suicide case.

The counsel for the defence said the accused would appeal the verdict in the High Court.